Join a Special Kind of RV Trip (and You Don’t Need to be an RV’er)
Join us on a special kind of Airstream journey. We’ll be tooling around in our AS enjoying the outdoors and the many sights America has to offer, some campfires and more, but hopefully, we’ll also be able to use these travels to help the many people struggling with chronic illness. 120 million Americans live with chronic illness. So that’s a lot of people. Not all of them have had their lives significantly impacted because of their illness, but many have. And we hope to help them, their caregivers, and loved ones. (No, we’re not asking you for money, so it’s safe to keep reading.) This is a different kind of effort, an effort to educate, and build awareness.
We’ll tell you about our plans and we’d be thrilled to have any of you join us for any part of any of our trips (even part of a day). Our travels will be announced on our website www.rv4thecause.org and on our rv4thecause Facebook page (join us as a friend there too), and we’ve listed some of our places and dates in this article. Just joining us will lend strength to an important message. Traveling with us will create a great visual presence when the media shows up – which will be great for building awareness. A row of “silver Twinkies” all out to support charity will be great. All of those who join us, even for part of a day, will get a “Caravan For The Cure” T-shirt, (designed by none other than Loren Woodruff). Yes, that is a not-so-subtle bribe!
What is RV4TheCause?
RV4TheCause is a program, a national initiative, designed to educate professional advisors in several disciplines (CPAs, attorneys, financial planners, insurance consultants) on how they can better advise clients whose families have been impacted by chronic illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and others. By educating the advisors people turn to for help, the many families affected will be able to get better advice, which will ease the burden of their struggles. Teaching professional advisors how they can effectively help and tailor planning for such clients will empower those living with chronic illness, and their loved ones. This will have a significant positive impact on many lives.
If you are active in any organization serving those living with chronic illness, contact us. If we’re traveling that way, we’d be happy to hold a program for them. We’ll also conduct seminars for those living with chronic illness, as well as their loved ones.
If you know someone with extra bucks that is just looking for a charity to give it to, well, we have some good names for them too! Three wonderful charities are profiled on the www.rv4thecause.org website and Facebook page.
Amazing People Along the Way
In the short time we’ve been doing this, we have met so many remarkable people! And so we started a section on the www.rv4TheCause.com website about people we’ve met along the way. If you, or anyone you know, have a story to tell, let us know. The more stories told, the more significant the impact, and the greater the awareness built.
Building Awareness
Hopefully, this journey will build media interest which will build awareness with the general public about the silent and invisible health issues facing so many. Awareness facilitates greater compassion and consideration. This is a vitally important task because so many significant health issues are misunderstood. Many chronic illnesses are invisible to the untrained observer. In fact, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society published a booklet entitled, But You Look So Good. Looks can be very deceiving when you’re living with a chronic, progressive, neurological disease.
Free Professional Education Credits
Most professionals must meet strict, annual requirements for attending educational programs in order to maintain their licenses. Lorman Education Services, a professional education company, based in Eau Claire Wisconsin, will be providing free accounting, law, and financial planning credits for those attending the programs (to the extent permitted by the various states’ laws). If you are or know a CPA, financial planner, or attorney, please tell them about our programs. See www.Lorman.com. We thank Lorman not only for their support and help, but especially for being one of the first organizations to “get on board” with us at the very beginning of this project.
American Institute of CPAs
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is supporting RV4TheCause and will host two webinars, one for professionals and one for consumers, on estate and related planning for chronic illness. CPAs have long been America’s trusted advisers. Having their support and encouragement will be a tremendous boost to our mission of educating professionals.
Financial Advisors Supporting RV4TheCause
National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) with which I’ve been a Registered Financial Advisor for more than a decade, has joined RV4TheCause as a sponsor. NAPFA will be supporting our efforts by encouraging its members around the country to help us “present” at events in their area.
NAPFA members have always put the client first, billing for assets managed or their time, not commissions which puts them in a position of conflict with their clients. NAPFA has always been an advocate for comprehensive financial planning, which is exactly the type of planning we’ll be teaching. See: www.NAPFA.org.
Three Wonderful Charities
RV4TheCause has another mission…to help spread the word about the work of three prominent national charities – The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. When possible, we’ll also speak directly with those living with these diseases.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2009 alone, through our national office and 50 state network of chapters, we devoted over $132 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. The Society also invested nearly $36 million to support 375 research projects around the world. Approximately 95% of all Society funding comes from grassroots efforts, much of it raised by individuals through events such as Bike MS and Walk MS, or through direct contributions. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to ensuring the development of better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for Parkinson’s Disease through an aggressively funded research agenda. MJFF has funded almost $196 million in research to date. For more information visit www.michaeljfox.org.
The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps
The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps leads a global family of camps for children with serious medical conditions. Founded by Paul Newman over two decades ago, with the idea that no child should have to compromise their childhood because of a serious illness, today the Association oversees fourteen camps in seven countries, six new camps and programs in various stages of development, and seven Global Partnership Initiatives in Africa and Asia. To date, the camps and programs have served more than 200,000 children affected by over 150 medical conditions. For more information, visit www.holeinthewallcamps.org.
Join Us for A Drive! A Seminar! Or More!
We’d love to have you join us for a drive! Anytime, anywhere! Our first seminar trips will be announced in the following:
- www.RV4TheCause.com website under the “Seminar Administration,” “Seminar Schedule”.
- RV4TheCause Facebook page.
- Practical Planner newsletter. Subscribe to an electronic version at www.laweasy.com, a free legal website.
- Many of our professional partners will also email announcements of the various programs.