{"id":47341,"date":"2024-02-22T16:48:28","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelandmark.com\/?p=47341"},"modified":"2024-02-22T16:48:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:48:28","slug":"lupus-foundation-benefits-from-local-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/2024\/02\/22\/lupus-foundation-benefits-from-local-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Lupus Foundation benefits from local connections"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Danielle Ray<\/em>
\nLandmark Correspondent<\/em><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
\"[Image]\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lupus Foundation of New England Executive Director Beverly Goodell, left, and 25 year foundation volunteer Rita Wolfson.<\/strong> Submitted photo<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

HOLDEN \u2014 Two longtime town residents are giving back in a big way through their involvement with the Lupus Foundation of New England.<\/p>\n

Beverly Goodell, executive director of the Lupus Foundation, began her journey with the organization in 2003 as a part-time special events coordinator. She was appointed to her current position in 2016. Her draw to being part of the foundation\u2019s essential work comes from a very personal place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was young, my mother\u2019s best friend Nan had lupus, and despite her pain, she had an amazing sense of humor and a hopeful outlook,\u201d Goodell recalled. \u201cAt that time, in the early ’80s, there was limited knowledge about the disease and treatments. When I saw the ad for the Lupus Foundation part-time position, I knew this was my opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those touched by lupus.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she enjoys being part of the nonprofit, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and touches the lives of so many people, and that \u201cwe are so fortunate to have a UMass Lupus Center right here in Worcester.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a part of the foundation has given me the opportunity to meet so many people, families, and caregivers,\u201d Goodell said. \u201cI have also met some of the greatest physicians and researchers who are making advancements in the diagnosis of lupus and working on new treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodell has lived in Holden with her husband, Bob, since 1995, and they raised their now grown children there. All three of their daughters have been an active part of the foundation and volunteering for it since their mother started there.<\/p>\n

Jenna Bailey of the Burlap Bee Design Studio is the foundation\u2019s graphic designer, and Goodell\u2019s other two daughter Kelsey Gezotis and Lexie Jarosz are running on behalf of the foundation again this year in Falmouth. Her husband is the market manager of Cumulus Radio in Worcester and \u201chas been an integral part of helping the foundation grow in the Worcester area,\u201d Goodell proudly shared.<\/p>\n

One morning at the bus stop, she got to talking to her neighbor Rich Loftus, and asked if he would be interested in joining the foundation\u2019s board of directors as treasurer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout hesitation, he said absolutely,\u201d Goodell said of the father of 10-year-old twins, who is an accountant. \u201cWe need more people like Rich in this world. He is dedicated to our cause and has included his family in our events.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foundation has two other board members from the area, Sassoon Cymrot Law partner Devon Kinnard and Julie Lavoie of Lamacchia Realty.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether they are working to spread lupus awareness in our community so we can provide increased education and fund vital research,\u201d Goodell said.<\/p>\n

She said they are incredibly grateful for the volunteers, including Loftus and Rita Wolfson. Wolfson has has been a foundation volunteer for more than 25 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is my absolute favorite person,\u201d Goodell said of Wolfson, adding that \u201cany awareness of the Lupus Foundation of New England and Rich is greatly appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loftus is a town native who moved back to Holden 17 years ago. He has known Goodell for a while, and said that when she told him about the foundation\u2019s mission, he was happy to come on board. Loftus said Goodell told him they were looking for a finance professional to serve on the board.<\/p>\n

His job is to \u201cconsult with the board and management to help achieve the foundation\u2019s goals,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy the feeling that I am helping,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Loftus was all smiles accepting a check for $8,190 on behalf of the Lupus Foundation of New England at the Nov. 25 Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the DCU Center in Worcester. His wife, Mary, posted a photo of the moment on social media and commented that the foundation is \u201csuch a wonderful organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
WORCESTER – Lupus Foundation of New England Board of Directors Treasurer and longtime Holden resident Rich Loftus, right, accepts a check for the foundation from Mike Hsu, left, of 100 FM The Pike radio station at the Nov. 25 Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the DCU Center in Worcester. Photo Credit: Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe Trans-Siberian Orchestra gives $1 per ticket to a local charity at every performance,\u201d Mary wrote. \u201cThey have donated more than $19 million since 1999. So incredible!!! Volunteer, pay it forward, donate, and give when you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich Loftus said going up on stage to accept the check from Mike Hsu of 100 FM The Pike radio station out of Worcester \u201cwas a rewarding experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funds are important to the foundation, and the radio station and TSO have been excellent partners to the foundation over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Danielle Ray Landmark Correspondent Lupus Foundation of New England Executive Director Beverly Goodell, left, and 25 year foundation volunteer Rita Wolfson. Submitted photo HOLDEN \u2014 Two longtime town residents are giving back in a big way through their involvement with the Lupus Foundation of New England. Beverly Goodell, executive director of the Lupus Foundation, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}