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 Getting Personal
Make a difference in your world, too
By Lisa Schaffner
Photo by Tisha McCuiston
Full disclosure this month: Giving Back is personal. Really personal. Let’s start with JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and its Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sept. 19 in Byrd Park. I’ll be there with my happy and healthy kids.
But last fall, my son Jesse was a far cry from the picture of perfect health. He was pale, woke up every morning complaining of a headache and had lost a lot of weight. I took him to the pediatrician, and on Dec. 8 at 4:42 p.m. we received the devastating news. Jesse is diabetic —Type 1. His pancreas had stopped working, and the doctor informed us he’d need to take four daily insulin shots for the rest of his life.
Eight months later, we’re over the shock of our life-altering news, but we’re just beginning the push to educate friends and family about diabetes. There isn’t a cure yet, but groups such as JDRF are raising money for research that will hopefully zero in on a cure — or at least develop a better way of taking insulin.
“We’re always looking for volunteers, whether it’s in the office or to help out with our signature events like the walk in September or our big gala March 19, 2011,” says Shea Seagle, JDRF special events coordinator. “We usually have over 100 volunteers during the day for each event. They help us set up and with registration, and assist with breaking down. We couldn’t do it without them.” Indeed, JDRF’s Richmond office has only three paid staff members, meaning volunteers are at the heart of just about everything the group does, including manning the front office.
“Volunteers help in the JDRF office doing clerical work, mailings, addressing invitations. They can work anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” explains Seagle. As for training, “We do a brief run-through about JDRF. We call it JDRF 101 to get volunteers up to speed.”
Interested? Seagle encourages those interested in Giving Back to call or e-mail so “we can have a conversation about where they can best fit it, what their interests are and their time schedule. We want our volunteers to be happy. We rely so much on them and are so appreciative.” Call Shea Seagle at 804-254-8014 or e-mail
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for volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about juvenile diabetes or JDRF in Central Virginia, see www.jdrf.org or www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=100653.
The 2010 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes is Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Dogwood Dell Circle in Byrd Park. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. The walk starts at 2 p.m., and 3,000 people are expected to take on the three-mile route.
NEXT UP: THE GALLERY AT UNOS
The United Network for Organ Sharing — the Richmond-based national nonprofit that matches lifesaving organs from deceased donors to patients on the national waiting list — is opening an art gallery in its downtown lobby. The Gallery at UNOS debuts Sept. 3 during the wildly popular First Fridays Art Walk and will spread awareness about organ donation and transplantation as visitors view art.
The gallery is personal for me on many levels: I work for UNOS, and the first show features the original watercolors of my dear friend Dr. Baxter Perkinson Jr.
“This will be the first time I have done a retrospective show with paintings dating from 1980 to the present,” Perkinson enthusiastically says. But the art show is more than a 30-year retrospective. It’s a tribute to Perkinson’s three decades of Giving Back to the Richmond community. He’s never sold a single piece but rather donates his artwork to not-for-profit organizations, which often auction the paintings at fundraising events.
“I’m so excited to be working with UNOS and supporting their efforts in saving lives,” Perkinson says.
You can support UNOS by volunteering at The Gallery at UNOS. Volunteers are needed the first Friday of every month between 5 and 10 p.m. to answer visitor questions. Volunteers will also be needed to set up and take down the art shows. E-mail
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if you’re interested in volunteering.
The Gallery at UNOS is at 700 N. Fourth St. in Richmond. It’s open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and from 5 to 10 p.m. during First Fridays Art Walk.
I challenge you to make it personal this month. Get out there and Give Back!
Lisa Schaffner, a former WRIC-TV anchor, is public relations director for UNOS. Contact her at
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