If you are a parent, you know how challenging the entire back-to-school process can be. Now, imagine that your child has celiac disease or non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS). Currently, parents are confronting the reality of sending their gluten-free children back to school, and I know from experience just how intimidating and frustrating it can be.

Our first priority must be to take care of our children.

We have launched our 2016 Back-to-School Challenge Campaign to help. Our new, free Back-to-School and 504 Plan Guide and webinar give parents the tools to successfully implement a 504 Plan to assure their children receive the school accommodations to which they are legally entitled, from elementary school through college.

In addition, our 2016 Back-to-School Challenge Campaign provides training and materials to help school health workers manage and identify celiac disease and NCWS, and recommend testing for the hundreds of thousands of children who are still undiagnosed. Through your gifts, we have been able to train more than 2,000 school health workers since 2014. I wish this program had been in place during those 10 school years of suffering it took before my son was diagnosed.

We need your help right now to support our children and their families.

Our 2016 Back-to-School Challenge Campaign goal is $20,000 by October 1. Make a tax-deductible gift today and it will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous donor.

Our children have the right to safe accommodations in school. Our children have the right to an accurate diagnosis and to live their lives without suffering. Your gift, doubled by our generous donor, will help CDF make this a better Back-to-School season for thousands of children and their families.

To Our Health,

Marilyn G. Geller
Chief Executive Officer

Marilyn’s Message August 2016