By Lauren Subia
No acts of service go unnoticed and without touching the lives of others. Anthem resident Lisa S. Jackson, the president of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Southwest Chapter, is living proof of this as she is being honored by the foundation with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions and volunteer work.
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is, “A nonprofit, volunteer-fueled organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases,” according to the organization. The foundation serves more than 1.2 million patients nationwide on an annual basis by providing programs to educate healthcare professionals on the diseases; offering advocacy programs to support patients; and investing more than $400 million into finding the causes, treatments, and cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Jackson has volunteered with the Southwest chapter of the nonprofit, which serves both Arizona and New Mexico, for 17 years. Fifteen of those years of service have been as an active board member and approximately six years as board chair.
“I became involved when my son Adam was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age nine,” Jackson explains. “His pediatric gastroenterologist put us in contact with the foundation. They provided us with the opportunity to have Adam go to camp with a program called Camp Oasis at no cost to our family. Camp Oasis is a program that sends kids to camp for a week with children like them suffering with Crohn’s and colitis. They can freely talk about the emotional and physical effects of these diseases with their peers. Adam found this to be a life changing experience, as did we. I could not imagine not giving back in some way.”
Since then, Jackson and her family have participated in 16 walks, three leadership conferences, and dozens of charitable and educational events.
Jackson will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Night of Champions Gala on November 18 at the Clayton House in Scottsdale. “The gala celebrates the strength of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community and honors those who make a difference in the estimated 91,000 lives of those living with IBD in the Arizona and New Mexico area; all while raising the critical funds needed to accomplish the foundation’s mission,” according to the nonprofit.
“I am incredibly honored to be recognized at this event,” Jackson says. “Those who know me understand how passionate I am toward supporting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.”
To learn more about the foundation and its upcoming fundraising event, visit crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/southwest.
