It's difficult to believe that it has been one year since we had our last in-person event, our 2020 Medical Symposium! We truly miss gathering together face-to-face as a community and at this time, we are still completely virtual, but we are excited to announce that we hope to have our first in-person, outdoor, pop-up camp experiences this summer with Camp Holiday Trails and Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area!

Save the date for these tentative pop-up camp experiences: Saturday, July 31st in the Northern VA Area, Saturday, August 7th in the Tidewater Area, and Saturday, August 14th at Camp Holiday Trails.

We will have more information on these events soon, but in the meantime please feel free to email us at info@vahemophilia.org and/or call 804-740-8643 if you have any questions or concerns. Do know that we continue to monitor local, state, and federal guidelines.

March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month, and throughout the month we will be fundraising on behalf of our 2021 Scholarship Program! This month, we hope you will consider a one-time donation or a monthly gift to VHF in support of this critical program for our community members.

With your help our goal is to raise at least $2,500 from our amazing community of donors, constituents and supporters! When you make a donation to VHF, 100% of your gift stays local in support of YOUR community.

Join VHF and Beyond Recreation for a highly interactive and engaging afternoon playing games, connecting with community, and celebrating Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month! Participants will gather in a Zoom room for a fun introduction to the program, and then we will divide into groups in breakout rooms to play a series of minute-to-win it style games and then will return to the main room to report achievements. Fun for all ages! Go here to learn more.

This session is free and open to VHF constituents of all ages, any constituent under the age of 12 will need adult supervision to participate. All registrants that attend will be entered into a drawing to win one of our numerous gift cards. We plan on having several winners (one per household)!

If you enjoy taking pictures, this program is for you! Please join VHF and BioMatrix for this highly interactive photography program during Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month! In addition to engaging with recent research regarding the impact of art and photography on one’s health, participants will apply their photo skills in several picture-taking activities, guided by retired career photographer and member of the bleeding disorders’ community, Rich Vogel. Lights, Action, Camera On!

Participants will need to bring something to take pictures with (a camera, a phone with camera), and will need to have a portable object that means something to them: a book, a figurine, a great-grandfather’s pocket watch, etc.

This session is free and open to VHF constituents ages 10 and up, any constituent under the age of 12 will need adult supervision to participate. All registrants that attend will be entered into a drawing to win one of our numerous gift cards. We plan on having several winners (one per household)!

This program will provide consumers with the knowledge needed to discuss emerging and current treatment options and have conversations around access to care and insurance trends, as well as recognize World Hemophilia Day.

» Please go here to view our Virtual Medical Symposium Program. This program is one way our generous sponsors can virtually connect with the community by providing links to their electronic resources, brochures, websites, social media sites and more!

Get information on Insurance Trends with New and Emerging Therapies, learn more about World Hemophilia Day, and get the latest update on NHF’s Plans and Future Directions for the Bleeding Disorders Community.

Date: Thursday, April 15th at 7:00 pm

Sponsor: Genentech

Presenters: Maya Bloomberg, ARNP, MSN University of Miami Hemophilia Treatment Center and Louis, a HEMLIBRA Ambassador

Topic: Give it a Shot: A Different Type of Hemophilia A Therapy

Date: Friday, April 16th at Noon

Sponsor: Bayer

Presenter: Maya Bloomberg, ARNP, MSN University of Miami Hemophilia Treatment Center

Topic: Meet Jivi

Date: Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 pm

Sponsor: Takeda

Presenter: TBD

Topic: VWiD

Date: Friday, April 23rd at Noon

Sponsor: Sanofi Genzyme

Presenters: CoRe Manager, Xaviette Pointer-Kincy and Physical Therapist, Jeff Kallberg

Topic: You Count On Your Joints More Than You Think

Date: Friday, April 30th at Noon

Sponsor: Spark Therapeutics

Presenter: Laureen Temple, Patient Education Lead, Spark Therapeutics

Topic: Understanding Gene Therapy Research and Its Potential Application to Hemophilia

When you RSVP for this program you will receive one zoom link for all sessions, you are welcome to join us for one or for all. » Go here to learn more.

VHF constituents will receive a gas and/or grocery gift card. Value will be connected to the number of sessions you attend with a maximum value of $50. If you are a constituent that lives outside of the VHF coverage area and you are interested in registering for this meeting, please email heather@vahemophilia.org for more information.

VHF is honored to recognize George Stone as our first nominee for 2021 Volunteer of the Year!

George has been an active constituent with VHF for years, but since joining our Volunteer Program he has truly given back in generous and consistent ways—showing an aptitude for many facets of nonprofit volunteer leadership. He has been willing to show up and give back on several different committees and bring both his depth of experience as a community member and as a retired professional to these roles. He and his wife Cyndi have also been generous active donors to the organization.

HFA has some exciting opportunities for bleeding disorders community members looking to make a career change!

HFA Learning Central provides free on-line courses on how to start a new career, a step-by-step plan to prepare for and seek a new career, as well as how to adjust to a new workplace. Learn more by visiting The Planning Office in Learning Central.

HFA Job Readiness Grants help the bleeding disorders community pay for technical training and certification to support career goals. They are awarding up to $500 to at least 10 people with a bleeding disorder between the ages of 18 and 64 seeking training or certification in careers in sustainable fields. Learn more and apply here.

Living Rare: Rare Bleeding Disorders Education Series is the first of a four-part series that will enable patients with ultra-rare bleeding disorders such as rare factor deficiencies and platelet disorders to learn more about managing the physical and emotional aspects of living with a rare bleeding disorder. The event is free and open to everyone from around the world.

Saturday, March 27, 2021 starting at 3:00PM (EST)