As the coronavirus pandemic reshaped the world in the past few months, just about everyone faced a steep learning curve as they had to quickly adapt to a new normal of anti-infection procedures and self-isolation. For many people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), this was familiar territory.
We’ve spent lifetimes practicing good hand hygiene, quietly distancing ourselves from people who are coughing or sneezing, and wearing masks in hospitals and public spaces where we are at risk of exposure to life-threatening germs. The CF community had established virtual programs — like CF Yogi — well before all of this started.
CF Yogi was as an early leader in the new frontier of virtual wellness. As a virtual yoga studio by and for people with Cystic Fibrosis, we help people manage the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of CF from the safety of their own homes. We have been teaching online yoga classes since January of 2019, free of charge to people with CF of all ages. Over 1,100 households have signed up for CF Yogi, to date!
Being in a position where we can make a difference
Fortunately, when COVID-19 hit we were already well-positioned to be able to respond to the evolving needs of the CF community. When schools were closed around the country, we responded by creating CF Yogi Storytime twice per week for CF families that were isolating at home together. When gyms closed to the general public, we launched a donation-based Yoga for Every Body class to help everyone stay healthy at home, using the funds raised to support expanded offerings for people with CF.
As the country slowly starts to reopen, we’re adding more social opportunities for adults with CF as they have to remain cautious and continue isolating themselves (our weekly CF Yogi Book Club kicks off in July). And alongside all those new activities, our core program of online yoga classes for people with CF continues to offer two weekly classes for different age groups and ability levels.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak places people with CF at higher risk, CF Yogi is now more important than ever in helping people with CF proactively manage their health, while also helping them cope with the mental and emotional impacts of prolonged isolation.
Staying strong for the long haul
As the world starts opening up again and healthy people can start taking cautious steps back into normal life, there is no end in sight for people with CF. It is likely that we will have to remain cautious and limit our exposure to the general public for the foreseeable future.
CF Yogi seeks to raise a total of $6,000 to keep our core program running at its current level of two yoga classes/week through December, with a variety of weekly yoga classes appropriate for different age groups and physical ability levels. Our offline donors have already contributed $1,000 toward that goal, and an incredibly generous matching donor has offered to match up to $2,500 more in donations!
Matching donations double your impact!
With only $2500 more in donations, we will be fully funded until the end of the year. Your donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar until we reach our goal. We are hoping to reach our goal by JUNE 30th so we can move into the second half of 2020 with clear eyes and a healthy budget that we can plan around.
There are so many factors in life that we can’t control, especially in this situation right now. It can be easy to feel powerless. But when we find ourselves in a position where we can really contribute something of value and make the world better, it’s truly empowering. Yoga helps us let go of the things we can’t change, so we can focus on the things we can change.
Your donation empowers us to make a difference where it is needed most.
Your donation will help us fund weekly classes through December 2020 and support our continued outreach to the CF community to help make them aware of our program as a resource in this critical time. We thank you for your support of the CF community, and for all the steps you are taking in your own life to keep others healthy and safe.
DONATE NOW
CF Yogi is a 501(c)3 nonprofit project of Social Good Fund, and your donations are tax deductible.
Click here to donate to our Facebook fundraiser (no transaction fees charged to CF Yogi).
If you don’t have a Facebook profile, click here to donate via WeDidIt (a transaction fee of ~2.5% is charged to CF Yogi, which you can opt to cover).
The ticker here will be updated daily to reflect contributions from both donation pages plus matching funds.
