Providing Answers, Support, and Hope in Texas
Your Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
We serve the Texas Gulf Coast as an independent Chapter for Lupus Foundation of America. Educate. Advocate. Cure. Lupus.
Your LOCAL giving of support funds local area programs and education, outreach and support services across multiple communities. Working with County Health Departments, Community Clinics and Health Advocacy non-profits we aim to shorten to time to diagnosis through education of community members and health care providers - advocate for patients to receive high quality care regardless of ability to pay - and to help fund research toward one day - a Cure.
Join the FIGHT against lupus with your local support today!
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Mission and Purpose
- Educate - Community Members, Health Care Professionals including Community Health Workers - of the signs and symptoms of lupus to help shorten the time to diagnosis.
- Advocate - Supporting patients have access to high quality healthcare throughout their lupus journey, supporting their journey with referrals, appointment support, and direct patient advocacy. Additionally, working with state legislature to provide funding to support improved lupus patient counts to result in higher funding and access to appropriate care.
- Cure - To help fund research toward finding a cure for lupus including Stem Cell trials right here in Texas!
Help us Solve The Cruel Mystery!
Your LOCAL support has impact!
Lupus is a complex disease that requires a comprehensive strategy. Our Chapter's programs and services all have a common purpose: To shorten the time to diagnosis through education, advocacy and research. Thank you, for supporting our local fight against lupus!
LupusTexas raises money to support Individual #lupuswarriors and both local and national research. Supporting research is important not only financially -warriors may help by enrolling in clinical trials. Support the fight for the future of #NoMoreLupus!
Beginning October 26, 2024, LupusTexas is partnering with Hope Bio Research Foundation to fund stem cell trials for up to 15 lupus warriors. Based in Sugar Land, Hope Bio provides FDA approved stem cell trials utilizing a patients own cells to create a 13 month treatment regiment.
Your support WILL change lives with lupus!
Join YOUR LupusTexas Chapter at Health Fairs, Community Outreach and Awareness Events! Check our Events page to see when we are at an event near you!
Learn MoreAt LupusTexas, we know outreach events help share awareness and understanding of lupus. By bringing greater attention to the disease and its devastating impact we can help drive support for lupus and ensure community members know to ask their health care professional about unexplained symptoms - "What if It's Lupus?"
From the Chapter President/CEO
The board and our team continue to be inspired by the courage and determination of women, men and children living with lupus. Have you read some of the "love notes" to lupus warriors? Bring a tissue! These #LupusWarriors are the motivation to serve in the fight against this cruel disease. #LupusWarriors deserve our efforts in the fight against lupus.
This is our 40th year! Founders Christine Smith and Lynn Blandford may not have imagined this day, yet we are delighted to have them both still serving the board and organization today. Thank them in a love note as well!
We have passionate volunteer leadership in our board members, led by our Chairman Mr. Marc Baca of Russell Reynolds, and all are dedicated to growing our programs and support of the over now over 2.2 million living with lupus.
From new chapter board members, support group leaders, media and community partners to Walk and other committee members, the number of people supporting the chapter grows every day! Some of our chapter programs include:
- Information and Referrals
- Peer Mentor and Support Groups
- Patient Advocates
- Health Care Professional Trainings (Including Community Health workers!)
- Speakers Bureau!
- Patient Access To Healthcare (P.A.T.H.) grant program - supporting standard of care for #LupusWarriors
Ninety cents of every dollar donated to your Gulf Coast Chapter stays in the Gulf Coast of Texas. We are one of two Chapters in the state of Texas that providing valuable resource for lupus patients, providing thousands with educational information, referrals, resources, support groups and educational programs. We know that lupus is under-researched, under-funded and under-recognized. Nationally, our advocacy efforts have led to increased lupus research funding of $6.5 million. The Lupus Foundation of America's direct funding of research has grown 100 percent in the past 3 years with $2 million in direct support to lupus research.
Thank you, to all our volunteers and supporters. Your support by way of time, talent and treasure, has helped us navigate the last few difficult years and forge a way ahead for all #LupusWarriors.
With deepest gratitude,
Anne Marie Blacketer, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
Lupus Foundation of America
Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
2024-2025 Board Of Directors
Mr. David Wilson, Board Chair -(Accenture)
Ms. Naana Danquah Jefferson, Co-Chair (SLB)
Ms. Lynn Blandford, Treasurer (Sequiture Energy)
Ms. Cindy Barclay, Co-Treasurer (Quality Dialysis)
Mr. Biruh Workeneh, MD, Secretary (MD Anderson)
Ms. Medha Airy, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
Mr. Rick Blandford (Private Equity)
Professor Jordan O. Williams (Texas Southern University)
Mr. Rick McAlister (RockSpring)
Advisory Board
Dr. Ankur Kamdar, M.D.
Dr. Namieta Janssen, M.D.
Dr. Eyal Muscal, M.D.
Dr. Philip Waller, M.D.
Ms. Shanna Tedder
Ms. Ninfa Perez
Mr. Howard Stokes
Ms. Janell Long
LFA-Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Staff
Anne Marie Blacketer, CFRE, CEO
Amanda Crane, Event Manager
Jennifer Burke, Database Administrator/Annual Fund
Program Coordinator
Sara Schaeffer, Office Manager
Kevin Blacketer, Volunteer CFO