My story
Barbara Jensen: Sowing the seeds
National Psoriasis Foundation Members are always good at finding creative ways to support the organization. Sometimes a Member will find an especially unique way to help that surprises even us. The Member described below used her love of trees to help the Foundation keep growing and thriving!
Barbara Jensen, 81, has had psoriasis for 64 years and is a long-time Member of the Psoriasis Foundation. Recently, she used her position as president of the Muskegon District Association in Michigan to show her support for the Psoriasis Foundation.
For some time, Ms. Jensen has incorporated psoriasis into her group's meetings by choosing it as her topic for "friendship night," a tradition of the association. "I have never been able to speak much about it publicly," she says, "and I was very surprised how well it was received and how many questions I could answer, thanks to your Bulletins I receive."
Ms. Jensen, who has always loved to sew and whose other great passion is the environment, decided to make a quilt for an association raffle. She brought the quilt to each meeting to show her group the progress and, in September 2001, she and the others in her association raffled off the finished quilt. They were able to raise $408 for the Psoriasis Foundation in the process.
The quilt shows a landscape dotted with trees alongside brightly colored houses to symbolize our dependence on trees and the importance of protecting the environment. "I have always wanted to make a quilt, and my other goal was to teach about trees and how much we need them," she says. "Doing this for the Psoriasis Foundation has been a great joy for me."
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