LOWELL, Mass. – Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union presented Sophie’s Hope Foundation with a donation of $1,500 as the first quarter winner of the credit union’s Give-A-Click campaign.
The Give-A-Click program runs quarterly on the We Share a Common Thread Foundation website (WSACT.com). Community members visit the site, learn about the worthy non-profit nominees, and cast their votes for the organization they would like to support. The program with the most votes at the end of the quarter is awarded a $1,500 donation from the Foundation. The first-quarter nominees included Greater Lowell Youth Skating Association, Lowell Youth Leadership Program, and Sophie’s Hope Foundation.
Sophie’s Hope Foundation was founded by Jamas and Margo LaFreniere for their daughter, Sophie, who was diagnosed at the age of two with the rare genetic condition Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1b (GSD1b). Currently incurable and potentially life-threatening, the Foundation’s focus is threefold: drive research into GSD1b through funding, coordination, and collaboration; raise awareness; and support patients and caregivers.
Jamas LaFreniere, Co-Founder of Sophie’s Hope Foundation, said of the donation, “Sophie’s Hope Foundation thanks Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union for this awesome opportunity. Our foundation drives research for GSD1b, which gets no federal funding. We raise awareness and also build community, so the $1,500 will go toward our mission to continue building community and virtual support groups for caregivers and patients with GSD1b.” The $1,500 donation will help further the Foundation’s ultimate mission of discovering a cure for GSD1b.
“We are proud that a program like Give-A-Click can help make an impact with worthy organizations like Sophie’s Hope Foundation,” said Mark S. Cochran, president & CEO at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. “The Foundation supports such a noble and underfunded cause. We hope that these funds will bring them that much closer to finding a cure.”