Meet Kaitlyn McGuire, our personal CFer. Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was barely 18 months old, which followed with her first of many hospitalizations. In the beginning, we did not understand the battle facing us. We did not understand the questions that will come and may never have answers. Now, at age 8, she is still fighting this battle every day. She faces hospitalizations every 2-3 months, but her hope never dims. She has a strong support team made up of her parents, her brothers, dozens of aunts/uncles/cousins, and many friends she has met along the way. Her dream is a cure for cystic fibrosis.
When Kaitlyn was 3, I wanted to take a proactive role in helping to battle this disease. I talked to my husband and called up a few sisters....and 'Scrapping for a Cure' was born. We wanted to help raise money for the non-profit organization, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in hopes that one day soon a cure will be found. Our organization started out small, at a local resort, with 15-20 participants. We came together to scrapbook for the weekend and help to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. After four years of hosting 'Scrapping for a Cure' in the North Alabama Area, we have moved it to the Greater Memphis Area in hopes to grow and reach more people. Not only do we want to raise money for CFF, but we want to raise awareness of CF in our communities.
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| back: Anna Steinke, Jill Worley, Tara Smith front: Teri Johnson, Rachael McGuire, Kaitlyn McGuire |
In April 2014, we held our first 'Scrapping for a Cure' scrapbooking event in Memphis, TN at a local church. With it being our first time in the area, we chose to host a one day crop. With the help of two local girls, Jill Worley (having a brother with CF) and Tara Smith (Kaitlyn's Aunt), we were able to pull together a wonderfully successful crop. Our event committee including: Jill Worley, Tara Smith (Kaitlyn's Aunt), Anna Steinke (Kaitlyn's Aunt), Teri Johnson (Kaitlyn's Aunt), and Me (Rachael McGuire, Kaitlyn's mother),. With the donations of local businesses and generous participants, we were able raise over $4000 to donate to CFF.
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| Tara Smith, Tammy Case, Jill Worley, Cynthia Brewer, Rachael McGuire |
We want to thank all of our participants, volunteers, and helpers that made this event possible. Due to the huge success, we have decided to keep this event in the Memphis area. We are already planning for our sixth annual event, a two-day retreat in Spring 2015. We will keep you posted on the latest details.
