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CSA/USA
San Diego
Chapter #57 |
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The Celiac Sprue Association, CSA/USA, is a national support organization that provides information and
referral services for persons with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Their slogan is "Celiacs Helping Celiacs".
Our San Diego Chapter of CSA was organized in 1993. It's membership is comprised of both persons officially diagnosed with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, as well as those who are gluten sensitive. We all must follow the gluten-free diet and are able to support and educate each other with this often tricky diet.
Please contact one of the New Member Contacts below with any questions you may have about this support group or it's events. Membership includes a bi-monthly newsletter that keeps you informed of our group activities, relevant news items, GF recipes, and more. The master calendar includes these events as well as other events occurring in San Diego County.
When: On the fourth Saturday of every other month, usually at 2:00 pm. The meeting dates for 2013 are as follows. They will be held at the Rady children's Medical Office Building (below) unless otherwise stated.
- January 26 at 2 pm
- March 23 at 2 pm
- May 18 at 2 pm
- Juy 27 (place and time TBD for annual picnic)
- September 28 at 2 pm
- November 2 at noon (annual potluck)
Where: Usually at the Rady Children's Medical Office
Building, 3030 Children's Way, San Diego, 92123. The meeting room is # 113,
which is
on the ground floor at the south end of the building in the back. Enter using
the door marked "3". The parking structure directly across the street has free
parking on Saturdays. For those dropping things off, there is a driveway at
the left of the building with a sign "Ambulance Entrance" that has a turn-about
right in front of the back entrance to the meeting room.
Directions may be
obtained by going to the Rady Children's Hospital website at www.chsd.org and
click on "Maps and Directions". The "Printable Campus Map" shows the building
for our meeting as "Medical Offices" and is bright yellow.
Who comes: Anyone interested in information and support for celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, or gluten sensitivity. There are newly diagnosed as well as long-term diagnosed persons at every meeting. Newcomers are especially welcome and encouraged to come.
Meeting formats: The meetings may include
guest speakers, discussion groups, potlucks, and more.
GF snacks and beverages: GF snacks are provided by members for everyone to enjoy at every meeting. If you would like to bring a GF snack, please bring copies of the recipe to share. If you bring a commercial product, please bring the original package. This enables all to eat safely, no matter what additional food sensitivities individuals may have.
Beverages including coffee and soda and/or water are provided by the support group.
Library: We have a "library" filled with gluten-free cookbooks, DVD's, and more. Our librarian, Victoria Keyser, will be happy to assist you with checking out any resources. You may "borrow" these resources until our next support group meeting, which is usually 2 months, and then bring them back. If you cannot make the next support meeting, then please contact Victoria to make arrangements to return the resources via mail. victoriakeyser@sbcglobal.net.
In addition, the revised and expanded edition of Gluten-Free Diet by Shelley Case is for sale at our meetings for the bargain price of $10. Shelley is a well known dietician from Canada, and has spoken to our group. It is a very comprehensive resource guide to the gluten-free diet.
Annual Dues: The annual dues are $15 annually, from January to January. Membership includes a bi-monthly newsletter, occasional pertinent emails, and a New Member Handbook with lots of practical advice. If you are renewing, please send your check to April Hammersten, 10345 Bart Way, Santee, CA 92071. If you are a new member, please see the Membership Form.
When: Saturday, May 18 at 2 pm
Where: Rady Children's Hospital Office Bldg.l (see above)
Themes: Safe gluten-free travel, and May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Summer is coming, with lots of trips planned for many of our members. Going by train, plane, car, with a group, international, local? Come learn what others have found useful when traveling gluten-free, and share any tips you may have. There are also many online travel resources that will be shared. In addition, we will be celebrating May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and will be kicking off a new project to help spread awareness within San Diego County. All welcome.
YouTube Video
Our San Diego CSA group "starred" in a YouTube video produced in May, 2010 for Celiac Awareness Month. Titled The Faces of Celiac Disease, in 4 minutes it shows the symptoms, length of time to get diagnosed, and how our members improved on the GF diet. It's now been watched over 12,000 times!
GF Food to Flood Area
Thank you to Carol Salvati for shopping and shipping GF bars, pasta, cake mixes, brownie mixes, foil pans, crackers, polenta, etc. to the leader of a Celiac Chapter in Joplin, Mo, that suffered from the terrible floods. At our Support Meeting in May 2011, we voted to give Carol a check to buy GF items to ship to Joplin to help their celiacs out.
San Diego Gluten-Free Foods Expo
The San Diego CSA Chapter helped sponsor the 2011 Gluten-Free Expo. Our members put in hundreds of hours of volunteer time to help make it an extremely successful event. All money raised was/is earmarked for celiac disease education and awareness projects within the San Diego area. www.sdgfexpo.com
Our CSA group sponsors dining out events periodically throughout the year all over San Diego. These are open to everyone, and are a great way to casually chat with others on the gluten-free diet.
Help promote your favorite GF-friendly restaurant! These events help promote restaurants doing a great job with gluten-free. If you would like to promote one of your favorite restaurants by organizing an event there, please contact Michele at michelevargas110@gmail.com or 858-485-8868. She will guide you through the siimple process of setting it up. See previous restaurant locations.
Members of the support group receive a bi-monthly newsletter filled with the latest news in the celiac world, GF product and restaurant information, and GF recipes. This can be received either by email or regular mail.
Want to help the group save money on postage and paper? Did you know if you receive your newsletter via snail mail that is the only mail that you receive from our group? If, on the other hand, we have your email address, you would receive your newsletter via email and you would also get our email blasts about special events, dining out reminders, etc. If you want to change the way you receive our newsletters, please email Steve Salvati at sd_stevorama@yahoo.com
"Follow San Diego's own Chapter 57, CSA- CELIACS HELPING CELIACS on Twitter! Created and operated by April Hammarsten. Follow: CSA57.
If you have any questions, ideas or suggestions, please do not hesitate to let me know!" April H., 11/20
Debbie Toon adds: "By the way, we need everyone to 'follow' to gain a critical mass."
These are scheduled bi-monthly on the fourth Saturday of the
month. They occur in the months that there is not a regular Support
Group
meeting. If you are a member and would like to attend a board meeting, please contact Jan Pruitt, our group's facilitator.
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There are many people that are involved in making our support group a productive
and successful one. The following are some of the jobs being done by volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to get to know other persons committed to eating gluten-free, and it helps our group make a difference. There are usually several positions available. Please join us in taking an active role in the group! Contact Jan Pruitt if you are interested in participating.
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