FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT
Marie Granieri
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
646-943-7444
mgranieri@ccfa.org

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Overhauls Social Media Presence to Amplify Awareness and Build Support

Leading Foundation for Digestive Disease Research Leverages Facebook to Better Engage and Benefit Diverse Audiences and Stakeholders

NEW YORK, NY. June 14, 2011 – The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), the leading nonprofit committed to finding a cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, today announced the overhaul of its Facebook presence. Available to the public at www.facebook.com/ccfafb, the Foundation's national Facebook site has been upgraded and equipped to meet the growing requirements of the Crohn's and colitis community by providing targeted interactive resources to reflect users' specific information and interface needs.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are two chronic and debilitating digestive diseases known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that impact 1.4 million Americans. Serving as a hub for information on Crohn's and colitis in the social media realm, the CCFA national site provides a convenient forum where members of the Crohn's and colitis community can easily interact with one another around topics pertaining to the diseases in general, as well as more specific interest areas, including the Foundation's Take Steps walk program and Team Challenge endurance training program. New to the application are two separate dedicated "Walls" on the CCFA national page that spotlight the Take Steps and Team Challenge programs, plus an additional "Find a Chapter" wall. These allow members to link directly to CCFA's two flagship programs, or to a local event, Walk, or endurance training team in their specific region.

"Before the expansion, the CCFA Facebook page contained essentially a single "Wall" for the Crohn's and colitis community to communicate with each other," says Marie Granieri, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Wide Technologies at the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. "Now, with the new modifications, we have more targeted "Walls" that cater to user's specific information needs and interests. Visitors can connect with specific sub-groups of the Crohn's and colitis community and engage in more targeted discussions, which the Foundation hopes will attract and boost dialogue among Facebook fans."

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation invites Facebook users who are in some way linked to Crohn's or ulcerative colitis – whether through their own personal struggle with these diseases, through a family member or friend, via a professional link to the field, through their participation in a related event, or simply because they want to make difference – to visit and "like" the CCFA Facebook site. Here, they can learn more about these diseases, how to volunteer, raise funds, or support the Foundation's mission with their time and talent in other ways. The Foundation also encourages users to visit the Take Steps and Team Challenge pages at www.facebook.com/ccfatakesteps and www.facebook.com/teamchallengeccfa for information on how to lend their support by walking or running for a cure. 

For those seeking other ways to support the Foundation's work, the new CCFA Facebook site also offers users the ability to "Make a Gift" directly on Facebook or via their mobile device, which will go towards funding critical research to improve treatments and find a cure for IBD, as well as professional education and patient support services for those who struggle with these diseases daily.

About Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, unpredictable, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, with more than 80 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends going to mission-critical programs. The Foundation consistently meets the standards of organizations that monitor charities, including the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance (give.org) and the American Institute of Philanthropy (charitywatch.org). For more information, contact the Foundation at 800-932-2423, visit www.ccfa.org, join CCFA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ccfafb, or follow CCFA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ccfa. 

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