Articles by Jennie Kuckertz

Published

San Diego OCD Walk a Huge Success!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out for San Diego One Million Steps for OCD Walk! Thanks to your overwhelming support, this was our most successful walk ever, with over 130 registered walkers helping us build community and raise awareness for OCD. We also raised nearly $5,000 to support OCD awareness and resources, with almost 150 individual donors! We had many clinicians attend and make themselves available to answer questions, and 11 wonderful volunteers who ensured that the event went smoothly. Special thank you to the La Jolla Shores Hotel, who generously donated the use of their beautiful Garden Patio to host us. Walkers completed a 2 mile walk along the ocean, engaging with people on the boardwalk who asked questions, and stopping to take photos at the iconic Scripps Pier. 

If you haven’t had the chance, you can still donate on our San Diego Walk page! We also look forward to seeing people at our Orange County Walk on June 29 and the International OCD Foundation Annual Conference in Orlando, FL July 25-28. 

Published

Thank you for making the San Diego Speaker Series a success!

OCD SoCal would like to thank everyone who made our 2024 San Diego speaker series a success! Nearly 60 people attended this speaker series at the Mira Mesa Library on April 20, including people with lived experience of OCD, loved ones, and clinicians. Consistent with our values of making sure that everyone can access resources for OCD, we were able to make this event free of cost due to the generosity of individual donors and our sponsors – Rogers Behavioral Health and Newport Healthcare – and thanks to our many volunteers and speakers who donated their time to this event. In particular, Dr. Sanjaya Saxena provided an important overview of OC Related Disorders and their comorbidities and complexities, including treatment options and typical effectiveness rates based on the current research evidence. Our lived experience panel was facilitated by Katherine Pica LCSW and featured four panelists who spoke movingly about their journeys with OCD and recovery paths, offering hope to others (Summer Contreras, Pat Dugan, Kyra Merryman, Ayden Widmer). We are grateful to each of you for your advocacy and leadership!

OCD SoCal is looking forward to seeing everyone at our San Diego One Million Steps for OCD Walk, to be held Saturday, June 1 at the La Jolla Shores Hotel! If you haven’t already, register today!

Published

OCD SoCal Attends NAMI’s 2nd Annual Imperial County Walk

After attending NAMI’s inaugural Imperial County walk last year, OCD SoCal is proud to again have supported this event this past weekend, Saturday April 13! It was a beautiful day for a walk around the Imperial Valley Mall in El Centro, and OCD SoCal sponsored a table at NAMI’s Wellness Fair inside the mall after the walk. We were able to connect with individuals with OCD, friends, or loved ones, and share information about OCD resources and events. The OCD SoCal swag was a hit, especially with the many kids who attended the event! It was also a great opportunity to meet individuals from the local community interested in volunteering with OCD SoCal as well as connecting with clinicians and local resources in the area. OCD SoCal looks forward to expanding our outreach through collaborations in Imperial County! 

If you would like to support NAMI and their incredible work, please visit the NAMI Imperial County walk page. 

If you are from the Imperial Valley area and are interested in our events, and/or collaborating or volunteering with OCD SoCal for future events, we’d love to hear from you! info@ocdsocal.org