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Focused on continuing and expanding our support of children and families affected by grief through its Camp Erin Program and addiction through Camp Mariposa, The Eluna Network has launched a comprehensive online library of carefully curated resources that provide the tools to navigate some of life’s most challenging experiences.
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On September 2, 2005 we received a phone call saying in essence, our daughter Cammy‘s heart was not beating, and she was on her way to Erlanger hospital by way of ambulance. While we huddled with close friends and family in prayer, we were given the devastating news that she was gone.
How does something like this happen to a vibrant 26 year old young woman? How do you reconcile just two days prior taking a long walk with someone who expressed her dreams for the future who appeared healthy and happy. Well, I can only state that eating disorders are deadly.
She suffered from all three of the eating disorders (defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders #4). She had binge eating disorder in high school, where she ate in excess in private. During her freshmen year in college she turned to bulimia to rid herself of her excess high school weight. She could eat large amounts of food and then purge by way of vomiting. She was also pairing her bulimia with anorexia which can often be the case. This behavior took its toll when in her junior year of college she went into cardiac arrest, and we almost lost her for the first time. We learned when you purge you rid yourself of essential electrolytes that control the beating of the heart and thus causing it to shut down.
We sent her for treatment to Arizona to save her life, and to hopefully help her overcome her E.D. When she left after almost three months we thought she had it beaten. Unfortunately, there were additional life threatening instances that followed. Eating Disorders seemed to control her in such a way that nothing seemed to help. After many years of therapy and finding the true love of her life we thought she was finally on the road to recovery. This proved not to be the case. We are not sure to this day what exactly caused her final cardiac failure, but for sure it was a result of her eating disorders.
To honor her memory Ashley Yates (her closest friend) and I (Jan Robinson, Cammy’s Mother) founded the Mary Cameron Robinson (MCR) Foundation for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. It would have been so helpful to me had there been a source like this when Cammy was struggling. There is so much to learn about this disease and the earlier it is treated the better the chance of survival. Denying it will not cause it to go away. We must educate ourselves to be aware of the behaviors and to intervene as soon as possible. This is absolutely crucial. Cammy would be so proud to know her death was not in vain and she lives on with this foundation.
MCR’S Mission Statement
The mission of the MCR Foundation is to provide resources for people who are affected by eating disorders in the Greater Chattanooga Tri-State area. The Foundation is committed to a holistic approach encompassing physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well being.
MCR will do this by:
• Providing education and multi-media resources
• Promoting awareness and developing prevention strategies
• Providing support systems
• Conducting research for community needs
• Promoting a healthy lifestyle and a appropriate self image
• Serve as a resource for referrals for counseling and treatment
MCR’S Vision
The MCR Foundation will be a comprehensive non-profit center in the Chattanooga Tri-State area for education concerning prevention early diagnosis and treatment of individuals and families affected by eating disorders, focusing on healing the mind, body, and spirit.
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A Fresh Chapter is a non-profit organization that facilitates life-changing volunteer and leadership experiences to empower individuals both in the U.S. and abroad impacted by cancer. AFC programs blend volunteerism and meaningful travel to connect cancer patients and caregivers around the globe, and focus on healing the often over-looked emotional scars left by cancer. AFC’s perspective-shifting journeys to places like India, Peru and Kenya help participants reframe adversity and discover a new perspective and purpose in their lives.
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HeadsUpGuys is a resource for supporting men in their fight against depression by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success.
Our team of clinicians, researchers, and mental health advocates bring together their expertise and personal experiences to provide you with this unique resource, HeadsUpGuys.
HeadsUpGuys was developed through the generous support of the Movember Foundation and is based at The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada.
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Actively Moving Forward, a HealGrief program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting grieving college students.
1 in every 3 college students are grieving a loved one’s death or the diagnosis of a loved one’s terminal illness! The organization accomplishes its mission by creating Actively Moving Forward chapters on college campuses nationwide. AMF, an acronym for ActivelyMovingForward connects and empowers these grieving students to support one another and participate in community service in memory of their loved ones. Students are given the tools to cope, and the education to understand that grief is normal; grief is not depression; suicide is never an option; and a healthy grief recovery does exist.
AMF also supports non-collegiate young adults and professionals working with college students and young adults by creating a wealth of virtual information, programming, and community.
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Created and supported by The Moyer Foundation, Camp Mariposa is a national addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth impacted by substance abuse in their families. Children ages 9-12 attend transformational weekend camps multiple times a year, always free of charge. Additional education and mentoring activities are offered to campers, teens, and their families throughout the year giving youth the knowledge, coping skills and confidence to prevent them from developing an addiction of their own. Led by mental health professionals and trained volunteers, Camp Mariposa provides a safe, fun and supportive environment critical to help break the cycle of family addiction across 12 locations nationwide.
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The National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation exists to deliver unwavering support for patients and families fighting pancreatic cancer. NPCF aims to increase awareness for pancreatic cancer and transform the experience of pancreatic cancer by delivering immediate unwavering support to all who seek it. Our primary programs include education, awareness, and financial assistance. Since it's inception in May of 2009, NPCF has helped over 237 families affected by pancreatic cancer with basic living expenses.
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The Mission of Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc. (Stop the Silence) is to expose and stop child sexual abuse and help survivors heal worldwide. Our overarching Goals are to 1) promote CSA awareness, prevention, and healing; 2) stop child sexual abuse and related forms of violence; and 3) celebrate the lives of those healed. CSA is not one group’s problem; by expert accounts it is a silent pandemic throughout the United States and the world, creating havoc – for the affected children, the adult survivors, and the society. It can be prevented and treated with a conscious and sustained effort. Stop the Silence helps provide that effort.
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Erin’s House provides grief support to children, teens, and their families who have experienced a death of a loved one. Our peer-support program nights offer grieving children and teens the opportunity to be surrounded by others also suffering the death of a loved one, helping them feel a sense of belonging and respect. The bi-monthly peer-support groups are available to ages 3-30, and are no cost to the individuals. Erin’s House is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For more information, call 260-423-2466 or visit www.ErinsHouse.org.
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The MOSAC site is designed specifically for mothers who have experienced the sexual abuse of one of their children. Life is difficult for mothers following the disclosure of a child's abuse, and they often have few, if any, resources available to them. Mothers sometimes have no supportive family or friends. They often have very little knowledge about child sexual abuse and want to read about and understand what has happened to their children. Most mothers of sexually abused children say that they need and want help following disclosure. This site is designed to be a comprehensive source of information about sexual abuse and to offer support and resources.
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