Are you new to the community? Perhaps you’ve been around awhile but haven’t been able to speak up for medical or mental health reasons. Maybe you’ve been a silent lurker and you feel called to help out in some capacity. You have ideas and opinions and want them to be shared with the community. Or you see a need within the community that we haven’t filled just yet. There are many ways to get involved.
Share your story!
You can submit your patient story with a photo to us at contactus@hodassoc.org to spread awareness through your own experience. If you’re not quite comfortable writing your own story, send us an email and/or phone number and we can have our editor contact your directly to help flesh out your story! We want to share your words so others will know they aren’t alone. Nothing compares to the feeling of community when stories are shared.
Board Service Volunteer
Consider filling out our Board Interest Form and finding a place on our governing board today! We are looking for people with and without board experience. Patients, professionals, family, and friends are all welcome to apply. If you have a passion for helping others, we want to meet you!
Volunteer Opportunities
Is a Board commitment just a bit outside your comfort zone? That’s OK. We have plenty of opportunities. From mentoring, to graphic design to patient story interviews. From one-time commitments to weekly or even monthly sessions. If you want to get involved we want to make that happen for the HOD community. Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form and let’s chat about how you can help the community!
Participate in the HOD Patient Registry
Did you know that the simplest yet most impactful way that you can help make HOD history is to join our HOD Patient Registry? It’s true! Our registry is histed by Sanford CoRDS. The good folks at CoRDS have made it easy to participate! You can do the entire registry online HERE Not comfortable with that? You can register and have a paper copy of the registry mailed to you, and complete it at your own pace. All you have to do is mail it back to them and they will handle the data entry. Still not comfortable? There is also an option to have a representative call you and complete the registry over the phone with you. Talk about accessible!
Be a Hero! Be an Ambassador!
Our community is growing and we need more Ambassadors! What is the commitment? We are glad you asked. As newly diagnosed patients and care givers sign up for the program, we assign them to a seasoned HOD partner to help them through those first few bumpy months. We like to view it as ‘the buddy system’. We anticipate questions about what to expect, what kinds of tests to request, what sorts of therapies help (or don’t help), and how to deal with and accept this new life with HOD. You can share as much or as little of your experience as you like. We ask that you think back to the days when you were first diagnosed, and what you would have wanted Be a Hero! Be an Ambassador! Simply complete the Volunteer Interest Form and we will be in touch with you soon,
If you have any other thoughts or ideas, we want to hear them. Reach out at contactus@hodassoc.org