The Arthritis Association of Louisiana is a tiny organization with a big heart. We also have big dreams for the fight against arthritis — and we need your help to try to accomplish those dreams!

The AAOLA is the only local nonprofit organization based in Louisiana that is dedicated to providing community programs, services and education to people with arthritis. You can rest assured your money is well spent, as we are a United Way agency, affiliated with the Capital Area United Way that serves the 10-parish Greater Baton Rouge area. Because we're based in Baton Rouge, most of our direct programs and services currently touch the 10-parish area, but we send free information throughout the state and would like to continue to expand.

Volunteers and donations are always needed and appreciated. Please check back as we add information, program details, events and links. In the meantime, you may contact the AAOLA by calling 225-761-8230 (toll-free 1-866-390-8736) or e-mailing Karen Kennedy, president and CEO.

Safe and secure charitable giving
How can you be sure your gift is going to a reputable charity and that it is being used effectively? With the Arthritis Association of Louisiana, you have the extremely valuable benefit of United Way oversight. But we've also provided these tips to help you when evaluating us and other potential recipients of your hard-earned contributions.

Contribute your time
With only one full-time staff member, we need plenty of volunteer help. From office and clerical work to event planning, selling raffle tickets or getting items for a silent auction, we can put your skills and interests to good use!

It also doesn't matter whether you can give just an hour here and there or several hours a week on a regular basis. Your help will be much appreciated. Please call 225-761-8230 or e-mail us to find out more.

Contribute money
The AAOLA always needs financial help to fund our programs and services. Whether you'd like to make a small one-time gift or a long-term pledge, we'll put your hard-earned money to good use supporting local research on arthritis treatments and helping educate and assist arthritis patients.

Here are a few ways you can help fund our services:

• Send a gift in honor or in memory of a loved one. You can mail a check to the address at the bottom of this page or call 225-761-8230 to charge your gift. We also accept donations at our secure online payment site. Please send us your loved one's name and the address to which we should send an acknowledgment.

• Buy tickets to one of our fundraising events, such as our annual gala. Check out our Calendar of Events to see what's coming up! We also have two popular raffles each year. In the late summer, we raffle two pairs of LSU football season tickets, and in January we raffle a Super Bowl party package with a large-screen TV, party food and beer for 20.

• Do you search the web? If so, you could be raising $0.01 for the Arthritis Association of Louisiana every time you search! iSearchiGive.com is a search engine powered by Yahoo! Search and iGive.com, the internet's first online shopping mall where a portion of each purchase is donated to your favorite cause.

  Try it today - it's free! iSearchiGive.com

• Pledge a multi-year gift. We depend on reliable sources of funding such as multi-year pledges. That's why we've created The Willow Society — a group of sustaining members who are willing to commit to a donation amount of their choice each year over several years. To find out more about becoming a founding member of the Willow Society, please contact our office.

• Send a kid to camp. Every year, the AAOLA presents Camp J.A.M. (Juvenile Arthritis & Me) — a wonderful summer retreat for kids with juvenile arthritis and their families. Your sponsorship of $350 helps underwrite the cost of one child's attendance at camp.

• Remember us in your will. Please consider making a bequest to the Arthritis Association of Louisiana in your will so that future generations may live without the burden of this painful and debilitating disease.

• Consider a corporate sponsorship. If your company sponsors special events and/or makes grants to health-related nonprofit organizations, please contact us about how you can help the AAOLA. Corporate sponsorships provide benefits to the sponsor as well as to the Arthritis Association!

Contribute goods or supplies
Your in-kind donation of goods, supplies or services also helps us produce programs and raise funds. Here are some examples of donations we need:

• Office supplies such as paper, envelopes and toner
• Office equipment such as computers, printers (especially a color printer), fax machines, digital camera, etc.
• Printing services for our event flyers and invitations, letterhead, envelopes and business cards
• Durable medical equipment (either new or in very good condition, please) such as walkers, canes, wheelchairs, lift chairs, tub lifts, braces, power wheelchairs and/or scooters
  • We maintain a small loan closet at our office; and,
  • We participate in an online "AT Marketplace," administered by LATAN, where a consumer can access an online database of previously owned equipment for donation or sale. Patients may also call 225.925.9500 or 800.270.6185; see our News Page for more complete information.
• Gift certificates and fine merchandise to offer as door prizes at our fundraising events or to sell at silent auction
• Toys, games, arts & crafts supplies, soda and bottled water, snacks and other "goodies" for the children attending our annual summer camp and for their families

Again, please call 225-761-8230 or e-mail us if you have other ideas or questions about how you can help. Thank you for your interest in improving the lives of Louisianans with one of the more than 100 forms of arthritis!

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Shop to benefit the Arthritis Association of Louisiana!
iGive.com is a program that lets you support your favorite charity(ies) when you shop online — at no extra cost to you! Just sign up with iGive and designate the Arthritis Association of Louisiana as your beneficiary. From then on, when you shop online, just start your session at the iGive.com site. Any online store you click through to will donate a portion of your purchase total to the AAOLA.

NEW: Do you search the web? If so, you could be raising $0.01 for the Arthritis Association of Louisiana every time you search! iSearchiGive.com is a search engine powered by Yahoo! Search and iGive.com, the internet's first online shopping mall where a portion of each purchase is donated to your favorite cause.

Try it today - it's free! iSearchiGive.com

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Tips for Safe and Secure Charitable giving
Confine your charitable giving to reputable established organizations, preferably those with a local branch.

If solicited by an individual for personal charity, don't give cash; offer to buy the individual food or drink or refer them to local assistance resources.

If solicited for an unfamiliar organized charity, ask for literature so you can make an informed decision about giving; any reputable organization will be glad to provide material.

If solicited by telephone, do not give out credit card numbers or personal information not listed in the telephone directory, and don't allow the organization to come to your home until you are certain of their reliability. Instead, ask them to send you information so you can make an informed decision and mail in your donation.

With the exception of local organizations, door-to-door sales are often fraudulent, and should be viewed with skepticism. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Under consumer protection laws, you have a right to written information about any offer, and the right to cancel any order within three days should you reconsider your decision.

Make sure you obtain enough information to enable you to re-contact the vendor or his/her office in the event you have questions or change your mind. If you don't want to be bothered by door-to-door solicitors, most locations have a law that solicitors must avoid homes which display a "NO SOLICITORS" sign; bear in mind this usually doesn't apply to religious proselytizing or charitable organizations.

For further information about consumer protection laws, contact the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office.

Promptly report suspicious persons, vehicles, and crimes to the local law enforcement agency.

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The Mission of the Arthritis Association of Louisiana
is to improve lives through continuing community service,
education and support of research for arthritis and related diseases.

Questions or comments?
E-mail Karen Kennedy

5222 Summa Court
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Phone: (225) 761-8230
Toll-free: 1-866-390-8736
FAX: (225) 761-8520