Art for Arthritis Raises Money for Juvenile Arthritis In Missouri [INTERVIEW]

One thing about being a person who does a lot of community outreach - you're always learning something new.  There's always something you didn't know about or didn't realize was so prevalent.  That's why it was such a great thing to talk with Kacey Boslaugh, a young lady who is affected by Juvenile Arthritis. Let's take a second and talk about what this is -it's NOT the same thing as Osteoarthritis, aka the arthritis your Grandma has.  Arthritis is a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders consisting of more than 100 different diseases or conditions that destroy joints, bones, muscles, cartilage and other connective tissues, hampering or halting physical movement. Juvenile arthritis (JA) is an umbrella term used to describe the many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that can develop in children ages 16 and younger.  No known cause has been pinpointed for most forms of juvenile arthritis, nor is there evidence to suggest that toxins, foods or allergies cause children to develop the disease. Some research points toward a genetic predisposition, which means the combination of genes a child receives from family members may cause the onset of arthritis when triggered by other factors.

5,400 kids in Missouri have Juvenile Arthritis, an auto-immune disease that can cause lifelong pain and joint destruction. Yet, many people have no idea that kids get arthritis. Kacey Boslaugh is one of those kids.  Here's a video she did for the Arthritis Foundation so you can get an idea of what it's like for her.

Kacey came into the studios to tell me a little about the upcoming Art for Arthritis Auction, the Penny Drive, and the 5k Run and Walk that are all raising money for the Arthritis Foundation.  They will use the money to help the families of those affected and to pay for new research.

The big auction for Art for Arthritis is coming up on September 26, up at the Gallery in Kansas City. If you'd like to find out more about Art for Arthritis, you can visit their website. You can also find out more about the Jingle Bell Run here.

Artfully yours,
Behka