Dear Friends & Family, (or personalize for individual emails)

For the seventh year in a row, the Children’s IBD Center at Mount Sinai has gathered together staff members, patient families and friends to form Team IBDkids to run the ING New York City Marathon raising awareness and funds for kids who have Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This year I’m helping their effort.

What exactly is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)? This web page gives a good explanation, http://www.ibdkids.org/about, but basically it is a chronic illness of the digestive tract. IBD’s causes are only partially understood and there is no known cure. Even when the disease is severe the Children’s IBD Center’s treatments and family support strive to make sure that kids with IBD can grow and mature like their friends do, and to keep them in school and out of the hospital.

I’m pitching in because (personalize – e.g. “because of the great care and support that my son, Joey has received at the Children’s IBD Center.”) Though I’m not running, I am taking this journey with the team through my support.  I am asking you to make a donation to these committed runners and also to help spread the word. The money raised by Team IBDKids will be used to fund research into Pediatric IBD and for increased education, support and patient services for children suffering from these diseases.

If you’d like to make a donation, please visit your fundraising page’s address here or send a check to

The Children’s IBD Center at Mount Sinai
One Gustav L. Levy Place Box 1656
New York, NY  10029

You can also help by sending out an email similar to this one to your friends, family and colleagues asking them to support Team IBDkids and the Children’s IBD Center at Mount Sinai.

Thank you for your generosity,

your name/signature here

For more information about the Children’s IBD Center at Mount Sinai please visit www.ibdkids.org.