Richard Chrz, co-founder and executive director of the Local Lupus Alliance was featured in the June/July issue of Coulee Region Women magazine, a regional, award winning magazine in La Crosse, WI. Their June/July issue focused on "The Men in our Lives." This was great exposure for the Local Lupus Alliance and helped bring attention to this devastating disease. The article shared some aspects of Richard's journey and his need to help others.

The Local Lupus Alliance continues to make strides in growing awareness with their goal to find ways to be in the public's eye each month. Richard Chrz, executive director of the LLA, reached out to Tim Kabat, the mayor of La Crosse, and Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, with both issuing official proclamations making May, Lupus Awareness Month. The Local Lupus Alliance also had billboards situated around the La Crosse and surrounding area to help grow awareness of lupus and to direct ...

Board Members Deb Brague and Renee Chrz, along with Executive Director Richard Chrz, represented the Local Lupus Alliance at the Viterbo Community Health Fair on Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 at the Viterbo Mathy Center on 8th Street, La Crosse, WI. The event was well attended and helped to grow awareness of the LLA as an organization, and to educate the general public to the affects of Lupus.

Harley Jo Skorpenske, who has Lupus, found this note on her car windshield in a CVS parking lot. (Photo: Corinna Skorpenske / Facebook) Story reposted from Yahoo Health One Ohio State University student’s quick trip to a Cleveland, Ohio, CVS prompted her outraged mother to post an open letter on Facebook appealing for people to understand that just because an illness isn’t visible doesn’t mean it’s not there. “You should be ashamed!” read the note tucked onto Harley Jo Skorpenske’s wind...

On January 13, 2015, Local Lupus Alliance Vice President, Deb Brague was invited  to speak at the La Crosse Rotary After Hours by member Brady Lowe. In attendance were Rotary After Hours members and Local Lupus Alliance board members Jonella Rademacher, Melissa Schultz and Nicki Veenendall showing their support. Deb explained what lupus is, shared her personal story of how her own  life has been affected by lupus, the mission of the LLA and how the organization is growing awareness and helping p...

This past December the LLA learned of the Claeys family from Holmen, WI whose 14 year old daughter, Courtney, was newly diagnosed with Lupus. The LLA stepped in to help in the way of information, emotional support, gifts of Festival Foods gift cards to help with groceries and Kwik Trip gas cards to help ease the financial burden of trips to Madison for treatment, as well as a Wal-mart gift card to help in any additional way they needed during the holidays. Below is their story as written by Jenn...

On December 9th, 2014, the Local Lupus Alliance was the recipient of their first grant as a 501c3 organization. The AFP, Association of Fundraising Professionals WI, Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter presented Richard Chrz, Executive Director of the Local Lupus Alliance, with 2 checks totaling nearly $1,000 through their "Practice What We Preach" program. Since 1994, it has been the AFP Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter's holiday tradition to make a charitable gift to one or more nonprofit organiz...