Spring news from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation

It's been a busy spring for the Foundation. From our PoopUp Experience, to World IBD Day, to expanding our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, read the stories below to see what we've been up to the past few months.

The Foundation presents: A PoopUp Experience  

Coming to a community near you! Join us at the PoopUp -- a fun, interactive, and educational experience for the whole family designed to destigmatize the symptoms of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. 

This free STEM-inspired experience helps people learn about about inflammatory bowel disease and its symptoms through games and hands-on activities. Learn more about the PoopUp experience and where it's travelling to next here. 

Say "Game Over" to IBD

World IBD Day takes place on May 19 each year to unite people worldwide in the fight against Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Organizations from 50 countries on five continents participate in awareness raising activities to shine a light on the debilitating nature of these chronic and incurable digestive diseases.

This year’s campaign was centered around saying "Game Over" to IBD, encouraging people to create gaming or live streaming fundraisers, sharing patient stories, and calls to action to support our efforts to raise awareness around the world. Check out all the details on our website here.

Diversity and inclusion at the Foundation 

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of all IBD patients and caregivers, we recognize that addressing diversity and inclusion are necessary to achieve our mission. Through our work in education, support, and advocacy, we are invested in ensuring diverse communities receive the latest IBD information and resources tailored to each population’s need. In our research, we also recognize the importance of addressing race in research on the diagnosis and treatment of IBD patients. Additional information can be viewed in our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan and more specifically the efforts of diversity and inclusion within the internal and external scope of the organization here.  

New education programs and support services

As we continue our work, we are excited to share information about some of the new education and support programs we are launching:

• New Facebook Support Groups: Within the IBD community, there is a great desire and need for additional support groups to address niche populations -- people of color, LGBTQIA+, ostomy surgery, and more. We will be launching two brand-new closed Facebook support groups for the Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities. We need your help in recruiting co-facilitators for these new groups. If you self-identify as either Black/African American or Hispanic/Latino and are interested or know someone who is interested in applying to be one of the group's co-facilitators, please contact Mary Esna-Ashari at [email protected] or 646-623-4869.

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Partnership Program: Earlier this year, the Foundation broadened its engagement with HBCUs by hosting Gut Instincts: An IBD Educational Webinar for the Black/African American Community in partnership with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Morehouse School of Medicine. This partnership program was geared towards those who are newly diagnosed and/or still learning and understanding their IBD journey. You can watch the webinar below and click here to see additional MyIBD Learning educational programs.

• Spanish Language Microsite: Our strategic focus on diversity and inclusion means striving to reach everyone with IBD, including those for whom Spanish is their primary language. This Spanish language microsite now includes content on a wide range of topics about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including information about diagnosis, treatment, nutrition, mental health, and more! Visit our site today, or share with your community at www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/es/home.