2023 - 2024
September
College Day-College of Biological Sciences (CBS) Involvement Fair
We were at College Day at the CBS Involvement Fair in the Mississippi Room at Coffman Memorial Union to connect with CBS students about involvement in our club and the Rare Disease community!
ExploreU
Our table at ExploreU helped us connect to incoming freshmen and other interested students about what our student group does and how to get involved!
Root Beer Floats & Rare Disease Trivia
We brought back a favorite event of ours for our "Welcome Back" event. At this event, we learned about NORD and the Students for Rare mission, enjoyed root beer floats, and answered trivia questions about rare diseases and the rare disease community!
October
BeTheMatch
In October we partnered with BeTheMatch to learn about what it means to be a stem cell or bone marrow donor. We heard from the grandparents of a child who had undergone a bone marrow transplant using a donor through BeTheMatch and from a physician who himself donated stem cells and saved a life. Students learned about how to join the registry and when they could sign up on campus!
November
Pompe Warrior Foundation
In November we heard from Anne St. Martin, the Executive Director of the Pompe Warrior Foundation, about her experience having a child with Pompe Disease, which is a type of lysosomal storage disorder. She talked about her experience as a parent and the director of a nonprofit organization, and also gave us advice for future healthcare professionals.
December
Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota
In December we partnered with the Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota to hear from the CEO, Rae Blaylark, as well as hematologist/oncologist Stephen Nelson and two Sickle Cell Warriors. The focus of this event was to educate students -and future healthcare professionals- about sickle cell disease and how it is inherently tied to the topics of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ).