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Josh Levine & Amy Basile advising Gideon's IBD activity @ Exploration

The Summer of 2000 brought many new ideas to Gideon and the Campaign.

Gideon tried his best to increase awareness of IBD and the IBDSC everywhere he went during that summer. After countless visits to various places across the country, he found a place that was not only more than happy to help him out with his Campaign, but made special arrangements for him to do so.

Exploration Summer Programs are haf-academic, half-camp-like experiences for kids of various ages. Last summer, Gideon attended the Senior Program (for students entering graded 10-12). When he asked if the Programming Office at the Senior Program could help out, they were more than delighted to.

Jen, one of the Exploration staff in the Programming Office even mentioned that a close friend of hers had IBD. We compiled thoughts into a timeslot where Gideon would educate those interested on IBD and his Campaign.

The next week, Gideon lead a specifically designated hour-long activity period with approximately 12 students from the Program to educate them on IBD and the IBDSC.

Josh Levine (right), Gideon's Residential Advisor was one of the overseers of the activity. Amy Basile (right), another remarkable staff member at the Program, also advised the activity period.

Gideon started the activity by first explaining his personal situation. He explained how is motivation and faith from his personal situation lead him to where he was today. He then went on to explain how he got the idea for a postage stamp, and what was being done to achieve that. He also talked about other related issues such as living life with a disability. Living life with a disability requires more than just physical strength. He explained how his emotional abilities were able to carry him through tough times of discrimination, including the situation with his school. Many questions were posed and answered at the end of the discussion, and everyone was more than satisfied with the way it had turned out.

The awareness from that particular session leaked into the Exploration community. Gideon placed signature forms at Residential Bell Desks, and spoke at numerous assemblies to encourage staff & students to sign. Over 350 staff & students (75%+ of the program) from various locations around the United States expressed their support by signing the proposal.

The impact of this event has lead not only several hundred more to be aware of IBD and Gideon's Campaign, but has motivated Gideon to give lectures and speeches elsewhere to continue his crusade to find a cause and cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Gideon will be re-attending Exploration for their 2001 Summer Program.

Note: If you are interested in having Gideon speak at your school, to your nonprofit organization, school, or anywhere else, please email: lectures@ibdcure.org

Additional Exploration 2000 photos (click to enlarge):

Gideon listens to answer a question posed towards the end of the lecture

Gideon emphasizes the need for more IBD awareness in his lecture

Gideon talks about living through discrimination with a disability

I first would like to thank Exploration it its entirety for allowing me to lecture and bring my Campaign into the program. I also would like to sincerely thank all of the staff and students who expressed their support for the Campaign at the program. The amount of optimism generated by everyone there has honestly given me the persistent hope and energy to continue this fight for a cure. I hope that the information disbursed at the program will enable everyone who attended the program to educate others on IBD. I hope that they will also extract the attitude that I shed to a lot of peers at the program that: "you can do absolutely anything if you put your mind to it." I hope to continue to change the world in a positive way with lectures such as this, and the continuation of the IBD Stamp Campaign.

Special thanks to: Diane Scott (director, senior program), Jen (programming office), Amy & Josh (above), my peers who attended the activity, my friends at the program for their nonstop encouragement, and everyone else who took the time to express their support either by personally coming up to me, or just signing the stamp proposal. Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart.

-Gideon Sofer

Exploration Summer Programs

Since 1997 Exploration Summer Programs has provided students with the opportunity to have a rewarding experience during the summer. Our coeducational, enrichment programs draw students from over 40 states and 40 countries to our campuses in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Visit them at: http://www.explo.org.

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