We all know board members come and go, and recently the JSF&RCD lost two special board members.  Cheryl Duquette, one of the co-founders and President of the JSF&RCD, and her husband Rich relinquished their roles on the board of directors this past March.  Both put long, hard hours into everything that they did for the foundation since it began in 1992.  They both deserve this retirement.  The board of directors would like to thank them for all of their devoted work to the foundation over the past years and wish them nothing but health and happiness for both them and their family.   

My name is Michele Abdulaziz.  I am your new president.  For those of you who don’t know me, I have been a parent in the foundation since 1994.  I have been a board member since 1996 and Vice-President since 2001.  I am thrilled to be leading the foundation to new and exciting places.  I am always available to you.  

Now that I have briefly introduced myself, I want to say this is not about me, it is about our kids--so let’s get down to business!

Spring is already here and before you know it, it will be summer…. 

You may have read in past newsletters the unfortunate announcement that there will not be a JSF & RCD conference this summer (July 2008).  Never fear, the Conference committee has been working hard…and guess what?  The 9th JSF & RCD Conference is scheduled for July 15 – 18, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Sheraton Cincinnati North Hotel.  Save those dates and start making plans to get to the next conference.  Please check the foundation’s website and future editions of The Rainbow for more information as it becomes available. 

The Officers and Board of Directors would like to thank Karen Tompkins, past Secretary for the JSF & RCD, and her daughter Sarah for attending and representing the JSF & RCD at the American College of Medical Genetics meeting in Phoenix, AZ this past March.  Through our presence at conferences like this, we continue to spread the word about JS and related cerebellar disorders, and educate doctors and other medical professionals.   

We would also like to thank the Schmitt family, who live locally in Phoenix, AZ, for coming and helping out on the last day of the ACMG conference.  They manned the booth and helped spread the word about JS and related cerebellar disorders.  They also dismantled the display booth as well.  Thank you for taking the time out of your weekend to help the foundation!  Your volunteering is key to our success.

The foundation now accepts credit card payments online!  Yes, you read that right….under the Donations/Memberships link of the foundation website, www.jsfrcd.org, you can now pay membership fees and make donations to the foundation.  Everything goes through PayPal.  It’s safe and secure.  If you have any questions about making payments online please feel free to contact Michele Abdulaziz at michii@allaboutjoey.com or 805-527-1007.  If you are not comfortable sending payments online, the foundation still gladly accepts checks and credit cards (MasterCard and Visa).

 Hope to see you all in 2009.

 Sincerely, 

Michele Abdulaziz
Parent, Friend, and President
JSF & RCD

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Michele via email or by phone 805-527-1007.

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