michiganpulmonarydiseasecommunity

Since my last MPDCI update, I am happy to report an ever greater number of families becoming MPDCI members than last year.  Thank you for showing your support of the programs and services that MPDCI provides to the CF community.

If you haven’t signed up for your 2010 MPDCI membership, it is not too late.  To get a membership form sent out to you, email the office at info@mpdci.org or call the office at 1-800-365-9140.

As a result of our membership survey, several of our families have requested services to better meet the needs of our young adults.  But not being sure what would best help, we are asking our young adults to email us with specific ideas that they would like us to pursue.  Some suggestions include: a ‘welcome package’ for our new 18 year olds to the Culture Club, a monthly dinner gathering alternating between Lansing and Novi on the night of our board meetings, and the possibility of refreshing the look of a MPDCI Facebook page that most of us didn’t know we had.

In addition, the Board has completed our first round of inquiry letters for grants for our Lung Transplant program.  So far,  we have received a grant from the Cresswell Family Foundation, and thank Professor Ronald Cresswell for his generous donation. 

We are also keeping our fingers crossed for a grant submitted to Galens that specifically targets funding for children who live in Washtenaw County.  If we are approved, the grant would provide funding for the various components of our C.A.R.E. program for these children.

And if you are one of our C.A.R.E. Kids graduating from high school this year, let us post it in our May newsletter.   Email us at info@mpdci.org and tell us where you are graduating from and what your future plans are.  And don’t forget to check out our February 2009 newsletter on the MPDCI website (www. mpdci.org) for scholarship information. (Be sure to check scholarship websites for application deadlines for 2010).

Mike York

MPDCI President