Articles by Jennie Kuckertz

Did you miss the OCD SoCal conference last month? Or did you attend and you want to keep learning more about how to fight OCD or support a loved one? Peace of Mind Foundation is hosting a FREE OCD Webinar on Saturday April 14, 2018 featuring presentations and Q&A from leading OCD experts and advocates. Be a part of this online conference from the comfort of your own home. The webinar will cover OCD basics, medication, treatment and advocacy. Click here to register.

We are thrilled to share that our 3^rd Annual OCD Southern California Conference (March 24, 2018) was an overwhelming success! This was a sold out event with over 250 attendees including individuals with OCD, family members, and professionals! We are incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm and support for this event and hope to continue expanding our ability to reach more people for next year’s conference. In particular we are grateful to our inspiring keynote speakers, Clint and Joanie Malarchuk, the many clinicians who donated their time to run breakout sessions, and the treatment centers who provided resource information to attendees and financially supported the event. Importantly, the event ran smoothly thanks to the dedication of a number of committed and talented volunteers who helped with everything from parking to IT. Finally, we are immensely thankful for Mariner’s Church in Irvine, which provided a beautiful space and catering for the event.

Want to stay involved? Here are 3 easy ways:

• Join us for next event, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk, to be held on June 2, 2018. Register for a walk in your city (Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego) here.
• Donate to help us continue to provide programs for the OCD Southern California community: http://ocdsocal.org/get-involved/donate/
• If you are interested in volunteering at our next event, please email us at info@ocdsocal.org

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) has been nominated to receive the 2018 COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD from the Child Mind Institute! Their annual Change Maker Awards celebrate individuals and organizations who raise awareness and dispel stigma, help children and families directly, or work to transform the way we understand and treat mental health and learning disorders.

From among hundreds of organizations considered for this recognition, IOCDF has been selected as ONE OF FIVE FINALISTS FOR THE COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD. The winner will be decided as a result of online voting, which is open to the public now through Friday, March 23 at www.childmind.org/campaign/2018-change-maker-awards

One vote per email address per day may be entered. So please feel free to vote multiple times.

The winner will be announced in early April and will receive the award at a ceremony hosted by NBC’s Cynthia McFadden in New York City on May 7th. Other honorees that evening will include Activist Award winner, Glenn Close, the founder of Bring Change 2 Mind which promotes empathy and fights stigma; and Champion Award winner, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, whose platform includes prioritizing mental health research and early intervention.

OCD SOCAL (AN IOCDF LOCAL AFFILIATE) WOULD LOVE FOR IOCDF TO BE ON THE PODIUM ON MAY 7TH AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2018 COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A HIGH-VISIBILITY PLATFORM TO SHOWCASE ALL THEIR WORK TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THOSE AFFECTED
BY OCD AND RELATED DISORDERS!

Did you know that you can support OCD SoCal’s programming through your online purchases at no additional cost to you? Amazon is TRIPLING THE DONATION AMOUNT to 1.5% when customers make their first eligible smile.amazon.com purchase from March 12 – 31 (usually Amazon donates 0.5% of all purchases to OCD SoCal). To get started, you can either (1) go to smile.amazon.com and select “OCD Southern California” as your preferred charity, or (2) shop through the link below.