I have been a member of the Board of the Scleroderma Society of Ontario (SSO) since 2004. I was invited onto the Board by my friend Peter Woolcott who was the President of the Board at the time and whose sister Audrey has Scleroderma. Ever since I have known Peter, he has been like the energizer bunny when it comes to promoting Scleroderma awareness, advocating for Scleroderma patients and fundraising. I joined the Board in the hopes of helping Peter and the SSO in any way I could.
When I joined the Board, it was an very exciting time. Maureen Sauve had just joined, along with three of her energetic sisters. The Board had several long standing members, such as Irene Goodale, who have such a positive and infectious attitude when it comes to Scleroderma. Everyone was very enthusiastic about growing the SSO to its fullest potential. It was easy for me to get excited about being a part of the SSO right from the start.
In 2004 when I joined the Board, the SSO was not a registered charity on its own, but rather was a specific disease of The Arthritis Society (TAS). TAS had been extremely helpful to the SSO over the years, but it seemed to all of us on the Board that it was time for the SSO to stand on its own.
As a lawyer by trade, I have been able to use the resources available to me to assist the Board in making an application for charitable status, which was granted effective April 1, 2008. Since receiving the charitable status, being a Board member has taken on an even more exhilarating feel. The potential of the SSO is unlimited and we all just want to move forward.
Being able to participate in the SSO and the Scleroderma cause in general has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever been a part of. Everyone on the Board is so committed to promoting awareness of Scleroderma, providing support to Scleroderma sufferers and their families, and supporting researchers and practitioners in their search for a cure for Scleroderma.
To contact Cathy, please email to:
cathy.jeske@sclerodermaontario.ca
