About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Emily Moore suffered bravely with colitis for half of her life. All net proceeds raised through the event support the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, a non-profit, volunteer-fueled organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Mission
The mission of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Foundation Overview
Since our founding more than five decades ago, the Foundation has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Today, we fund cutting-edge studies at major medical institutions, nurture investigators at the early stages of their careers, and finance underdeveloped areas of research. In addition, our professional education workshops and programs, along with our scientific journal, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, enable medical professionals to keep pace with this rapidly growing field. We are very proud that the National Institutes of Health has commended us for "uniting the research community and strengthening IBD research."
Beyond research, the Foundation is collaborating with healthcare providers to improve IBD quality of care, as well as educating, supporting, and empowering patients and their caregivers through patient-centric education and advocacy programs.
Facts about IBD
- Approximately 80,000 cases are children under the age of 18
- Nearly 32% of symptomatic IBD patients reported being out of the workforce in a one-year period, incurring an indirect company cost estimated at $5,228 per patient
- After 30 years of disease, up to a third of people with colitis will require surgery
- About 70% of people with Crohn’s disease eventually require surgery
- These chronic, life-long conditions can be treated but not cured. While the exact cause is not entirely understood, it is known to involve an interaction between genes, the immune system, and environmental factors.