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theGSF Launches First-Of-Its-Kind, Free...

February 27, 2012 theGSF Launches First-Of-Its-Kind, Free iPad Communication App For Those With Limited Movement

Santa Barbara, CA -- February 27, 2012 -- The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit...

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Cap Lifts, and So Do Spirits

September 23, 2010 Cap Lifts, and So Do Spirits
As a healthy couple in their mid-20s, Bill and Victoria Strong’s last concern when shopping for health insurance was...
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A Family Fights Spinal Muscular Atrophy...

October 03, 2010 A Family Fights Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Audio)

The world seems like a big, dangerous place for a baby. But sometimes the threat comes from genes. Spinal muscular...

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Washington School Girl Scouts Show Off...

May 13, 2013 Washington School Girl Scouts Show Off Their Talents For a Schoolmate

Once a year around 50 Girl Scouts show off their talents to raise money for a local nonprofit organization.

This...

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Paralysis: Pain, Price, and a...

May 13, 2013 Paralysis: Pain, Price, and a Prescription for Cure

Every paralyzed person is unique. His or her body may have areas of partial or total numbness, so skin sensations do...

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Five ‘Emerging Investigator’...

April 12, 2013 Five ‘Emerging Investigator’ Grantees Named By FightSMA and Gwendolyn Strong Foundation

Two organizations dedicated to defeating the childhood neuromuscular disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) announced...

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House Approves Capps Bill Inspired by...

February 05, 2013 House Approves Capps Bill Inspired by Santa Barbara Family

The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill authored by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa...

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Capps, McMorris Rodgers Introduce...

January 15, 2013 Capps, McMorris Rodgers Introduce National Pediatric Research Network Act

WASHINGTON, DC –Today Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-24) re-introduced the National Pediatric Research Network Act...

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FightSMA and GSF Announce $250,000...

January 15, 2013 FightSMA and GSF Announce $250,000 ‘Emerging Investigator Awards’ Program

Two organizations with storied histories of advancing research to defeat the childhood neuromuscular disease, spinal...

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Explore Respite Care Options for...

January 11, 2013 Explore Respite Care Options for Special Needs Families

In 2007, Bill and Victoria Strong of Santa Barbara, California, welcomed their infant daughter, Gwendolyn, with the...

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GSF Grants 100th Life-Changing iPad;...

January 11, 2013 GSF Grants 100th Life-Changing iPad; Will Grant at Least 100 More in 2013

Santa Barbara, CA -- January 11, 2013 -- The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit...

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Santa Barbara Fifth-Grader’s Santa...

December 20, 2012 Santa Barbara Fifth-Grader’s Santa List, With a Rhyming Twist, Benefits Charity

Like so many youngsters, Coleman Mortensen is asking Santa Claus to bring him a bicycle this year.

But the...

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GSF To Be Featured On NBC, Needs Local...

November 21, 2012 GSF To Be Featured On NBC, Needs Local Support To Receive $1M From Chase

Santa Barbara based nonprofit, the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), was selected as 1 of 25 charities nationwide...

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Special family may be biggest winner at...

November 11, 2012 Special family may be biggest winner at SB marathon

The joy of accomplishment and personal achievement was all over Santa Barbara City College's La Playa Stadium on...

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Never Give Up

November 09, 2012 Never Give Up

Our only child, Gwendolyn, just turned 5 years old. She’s never crawled, nor walked, nor taken a single step, and she...

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Paralyzed 5-Year-Old with Terminal...

November 05, 2012 Paralyzed 5-Year-Old with Terminal Disease to Run in Marathon with Help of Parents and 100 Others

Santa Barbara, CA -- November 5, 2012 -- One hundred runners from around the country will gather in Santa Barbara,...

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GIVING BACK: Gwendolyn Strong...

November 03, 2012 GIVING BACK: Gwendolyn Strong Foundation

At 5 years of age, Gwendolyn Strong has defied the predictions. Diagnosed six months after birth with Spinal Muscular...

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Bipartisan Capps Bills Approved by...

September 21, 2012 Bipartisan Capps Bills Approved by House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the House of Representatives unanimously approved two bipartisan bills co-authored by...

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Changing lives with iPads : Santa...

September 18, 2012 Changing lives with iPads : Santa Barbara foundation helps SMA patients to communicate

Victoria Strong teared up as she recalled the moment her 4-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn, was finally able to tell...

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Gwendolyn Mentioned in Congress as the...

September 13, 2012 Gwendolyn Mentioned in Congress as the National Pediatric Research Network Act Moves Forward

On September 11, 2012, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee passed H.R. 6163, the National...

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Bipartisan Capps Bills Approved by...

September 13, 2012 Bipartisan Capps Bills Approved by Energy and Commerce Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee approved two bipartisan bills...

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theGSF and Santa Barbara Wealth...

August 21, 2012 theGSF and Santa Barbara Wealth Management Firm Join Forces to Raise Funds For SMA

Mission Wealth Management, LLC aims to raise $10,000 towards research for a cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)...

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Win One for FDR—and the Wheelchair...

July 25, 2012 Win One for FDR—and the Wheelchair Warrior in Your Life

One recent night in Washington D.C., I saw two statues of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: one was huge, capturing the...

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FightSMA Announces Introduction in the...

July 20, 2012 FightSMA Announces Introduction in the House of the National Pediatric Research Network

ALEXANDRIA, VA. July 20, 2012—A bill to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the creation of...

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Congresswoman Capps Speaks on...

March 21, 2012 Congresswoman Capps Speaks on Eliminating Lifetime Caps for Insurance Coverage

Before the second anniversary of the health care reform law Congresswoman Capps draws attention to some of its...

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A law that scraps junk insurance

March 21, 2012 A law that scraps junk insurance

Amid all the noise that has been generated over the past month about whether insurance policies should be required to...

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theGSF Launches First-Of-Its-Kind, Free...

February 27, 2012 theGSF Launches First-Of-Its-Kind, Free iPad Communication App For Those With Limited Movement

Santa Barbara, CA -- February 27, 2012 -- The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit...

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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Granting...

January 10, 2012 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Granting Fifty iPads to those with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing global...

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Runners raise thousands for those who...

November 13, 2011 Runners raise thousands for those who can’t

They say they run so that one day those who can't, can.

Although it takes strength, endurance, and dedication to...

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Team GSF SB Marathon Raises 45 Thousand...

November 09, 2011 Team GSF SB Marathon Raises 45 Thousand Dollars (Video)

The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation has raised 45 thousand dollars heading into this weekend's 3rd Annual Santa Barbara...

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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Freshens...

November 07, 2011 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Freshens Brand, Launches New Website and Online Store

SANTA BARBARA, CA – November 7, 2011 – The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit...

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Thirty Santa Barbara Marathon Runners...

November 03, 2011 Thirty Santa Barbara Marathon Runners Raise Over $43,000 for the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation

SANTA BARBARA, CA – November, 3, 2011 –Thirty Santa Barbara Marathon runners from around the country collectively...

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Vaqueros Team Up With Gwendolyn Strong...

September 27, 2011 Vaqueros Team Up With Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (Video)

Santa Barbara City College Football has a new community outreach campaign called The Vaquero Honorary Captain...

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The Affordable Care Act: Gwendolyn’s...

July 18, 2011 The Affordable Care Act: Gwendolyn’s Story (VIDEO)

Bill and Victoria Strong, with daughter Gwendolyn, show how the new health law is providing major relief for American...

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Couple wants to spread the word about...

June 09, 2011 Couple wants to spread the word about little known genetic disorder
A young local couple who wanted to start a family saw their dreams dashed when they learned they both carry a...
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Her little pony : Miniature horse...

April 13, 2011 Her little pony : Miniature horse provides a spark in the life of a terminally ill child

Horses have always held a special place in the hearts of little girls. Maybe it's the way their manes hang down —...

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Killer B Fitness presents Gwendolyn...

March 05, 2011 Killer B Fitness presents Gwendolyn Strong’s Indoor Triathlon today

This Saturday you can you can perform all the events of triathlon, while leaving your wetsuit, bike, and sunscreen at...

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The numbers don’t lie: Healthcare...

January 08, 2011 The numbers don’t lie: Healthcare reform law is helping Californians

In the long-running television series “The West Wing,” President Josiah Bartlett exclaims, “If you want to convince...

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Capps Highlights Santa Barbara...

January 06, 2011 Capps Highlights Santa Barbara Family’s Health Care Predicament
Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, spoke out Thursday against the Republican move to immediately repeal the newly...
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Don’t Repeal Healthcare Reform—One...

January 06, 2011 Don’t Repeal Healthcare Reform—One Family’s Story

Rep. Capps speaks against repealing healthcare reform because it has put in place critical protections to help...

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A Family Fights Spinal Muscular Atrophy...

October 03, 2010 A Family Fights Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Audio)

The world seems like a big, dangerous place for a baby. But sometimes the threat comes from genes. Spinal muscular...

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Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Wins...

October 01, 2010 Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Wins Additional $20,000

Jimmie Johnson Foundation surprises 2nd-place Gwendolyn Strong Foundation with an additional $20,000 grant after...

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Cap Lifts, and So Do Spirits

September 23, 2010 Cap Lifts, and So Do Spirits
As a healthy couple in their mid-20s, Bill and Victoria Strong’s last concern when shopping for health insurance was...
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Girl Scouts to Honor Three ‘Women of...

September 16, 2010 Girl Scouts to Honor Three ‘Women of Distinction’

During its 16th annual Women of Distinction benefit to support Girl Scouts in Santa Barbara, volunteer members of the...

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Jimmie Johnson Foundation Announces...

September 08, 2010 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Announces Samsung Helmet of Hope For More
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 8, 2010) – The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is launching a brand new element to its Samsung...
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Nascar’s Jimmie Johnson Helps Out a...

August 09, 2010 Nascar’s Jimmie Johnson Helps Out a Local Foundation (Video)
The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation in Santa Barbara is the newest addition to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation's Samsung...
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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Selected By...

August 02, 2010 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Selected By NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson For Helmet of Hope Campaign
Online PR News – 02-August-2010 –The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to...
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Johnson Adds 2 More Charities to...

August 02, 2010 Johnson Adds 2 More Charities to Samsung Helmet of Hope

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 2, 2010) – Foundation for Faces of Children (Brookline, Mass.) and The Gwendolyn Strong...

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FightSMA Launches Gene Therapy...

July 07, 2010 FightSMA Launches Gene Therapy Fundraising Campaign: “Realizing the Dream”
Online PR News – 07-July-2010 –RICHMOND, VA – Richmond-based Fight SMA announced today a new fundraising campaign for...
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Advances in stem cell science give us...

July 07, 2010 Advances in stem cell science give us hope that we’ll see an end to SMA
Throughout July, we’ll be profiling Charter Community members, people who have signed the Stem Cell Charter and are...
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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards...

June 18, 2010 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards $10,000 To Critical SMA Online Support Network
Online PR News – 18-June-2010 –The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to...
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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards...

May 30, 2010 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards $135,000 for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research
The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit organization, has awarded a total of $135,000 to two...
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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards...

May 20, 2010 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Awards $135,000, Partners On Promising Gene Therapy Program
Online PR News – 20-May-2010 –Santa Barbara, CA – The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a nonprofit organization...
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FightSMA Awards $250,000 Grant to Gene...

May 19, 2010 FightSMA Awards $250,000 Grant to Gene Researcher at The Ohio State University
Richmond, Virginia-based FightSMA, a nonprofit dedicated to developing a treatment for the deadly childhood crippler...
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March 2010 “Real Strong Women”...

March 06, 2010 March 2010 “Real Strong Women” Selection: Victoria Withey Strong
When Victoria and her husband Bill learned their daughter was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a...
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Hope for a Cure: Gwendolyn Strong...

February 23, 2010 Hope for a Cure: Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Receives $100,000 Chase Grant

Photo of the Day: Hope for a Cure: Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Receives $100,000 Chase Grant

Noozhawk: Photo of the Day

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Chase Community Giving Program Final...

January 29, 2010 Chase Community Giving Program Final Winners Announced
JPMorgan Chase and Facebook have announced the final list of small and local charities that will receive grants...
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Five California Charities Win Grants...

January 27, 2010 Five California Charities Win Grants from Chase Through Facebook Program

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chase and Facebook® today announced five California charities selected to receive major...

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Local Charities Score Funding From...

January 27, 2010 Local Charities Score Funding From Facebook Program

Two, Southern California charities are among the charities who are receiving grants from JPMorgan Chase in a...

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Local foundation wins grant to fight...

January 26, 2010 Local foundation wins grant to fight SMA
A local foundation started by a Santa Barbara couple fighting against the terminal disease afflicting their daughter...
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A Worthwhile Cause: Gwendolyn Strong...

January 25, 2010 A Worthwhile Cause: Gwendolyn Strong Foundation

"The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF) seeks to raise awareness about and fund research for Spinal Muscular Atrophy...

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Chase and Facebook Announce Winning...

January 25, 2010 Chase and Facebook Announce Winning Charities in Final Round of Chase Community Giving
New York and Palo Alto, Calif., January 25, 2010 - Chase and Facebook announced today the final list of small and...
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Local Family Needs Online Votes to Help...

January 20, 2010 Local Family Needs Online Votes to Help Find a Cure
Medical research is coming close to unraveling the mysteries of many common diseases, and one Santa Barbara family...
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Charity Requests Your Vote on Facebook

January 19, 2010 Charity Requests Your Vote on Facebook

A few months back I wrote about the charitable work many domain name companies and individual domain investors are...

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A nonprofit started by a UCSC alumni...

January 19, 2010 A nonprofit started by a UCSC alumni could win $1 million prize money
SAN DIEGO -- When Gwendolyn Strong was born just over two years ago she was the perfect baby: happy, healthy and like...
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Enlisting Twitter, Facebook For...

January 18, 2010 Enlisting Twitter, Facebook For Nonprofit Funding
One of the interesting trends I’ve been watching emerge out of the new, social web has been the push toward...
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Give The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation...

January 13, 2010 Give The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Your Vote
Gwendolyn Strong was born perfectly healthy in October 2007. But, at 6-months-old, her health took a bad turn, and...
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Local family continues battle against...

December 24, 2009 Local family continues battle against SMA
As their surname implies, the Strongs are fighters.
 
When their daughter, Gwendolyn, was diagnosed with spinal...
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Family fights, hopes for cure for...

December 24, 2009 Family fights, hopes for cure for daughter’s spinal muscular atrophy before it’s too late
Gwendolyn Strong reached a major milestone when she turned 2 in October: she joined the rare 10 percent of those...
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GSF Voted Top 100 Charity, Receives...

December 17, 2009 GSF Voted Top 100 Charity, Receives $25,000 Grant From Chase And Chance At $1 Million
Online PR News – 17-December-2009 –Santa Barbara, CA – The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a nonprofit...
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Chase and Facebook Announce 100 Small...

December 16, 2009 Chase and Facebook Announce 100 Small and Local Charities to Receive $25,000 Each
New York and Palo Alto, Calif., December 16, 2009 - Chase and Facebook today announced the 100 small and local...
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Businesses Help Consumers Shop With A...

December 09, 2009 Businesses Help Consumers Shop With A Purpose
In a time when everyone is trying to make a buck, I’d like to tip my hat to a Website that’s trying to do the...
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Spinal Muscular Atrophy Nonprofit Group...

October 18, 2009 Spinal Muscular Atrophy Nonprofit Group Gets an Online Assist
A local nonprofit organization dedicated to raising research funding and awareness in the fight against Spinal...
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Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Launches...

October 13, 2009 Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Launches ShopToEndSMA.com, Selected By We-Care.com As Cause Of The Month
Online PR News – 13-October-2009 –Santa Barbara, CA – October 13, 2009 – The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), a...
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Passing On Some Inspiring Stories of...

September 28, 2009 Passing On Some Inspiring Stories of Good In The Domain Business
While I know that the desire of those who give of their “time, talent and treasure” is not to seek recognition, I’ve...
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Thousands Voice Support for Spinal...

September 09, 2009 Thousands Voice Support for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research with “Tweet for a Cure”
Online PR News – 09-September-2009 –(Santa Barbara, CA) – With millions of people 'Tweeting' every day, Bill Strong...
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How You Can End the #1 Genetic Killer...

July 29, 2009 How You Can End the #1 Genetic Killer of Infants: SMA
We need your help today to cure the #1 genetic killer of infants – SMA!
 
What is SMA?
  • Spinal Muscular...
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“In Focus” Feature (Video)

July 27, 2009 “In Focus” Feature (Video)

KEYT-3's "In Focus" features an update on Gwendolyn's cross country RV trip, Sponsor-A-Mile, PetitionToCureSMA.com,...

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Acts of Kindness

July 16, 2009 Acts of Kindness
Over the course of the last year since our daughter’s terminal Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) diagnosis, we have been...
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What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?

July 11, 2009 What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?
Following our last post about Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), our daughter Gwendolyn, and our passionate drive to END...
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Never Too Old For Accolades

July 08, 2009 Never Too Old For Accolades
Only two weeks on the job, Palestine Mayor Bob Herrington presented 104-year-old Palestine native Harry Gillespie...
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The #1 Genetic Killer of Young Children...

July 06, 2009 The #1 Genetic Killer of Young Children – that You’ve Never Heard of
Thank you for the opportunity to post as “guest bloggers” on Care2.com as we campaign across the U.S. to raise much...
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Great-grandfather, terminally ill baby...

July 03, 2009 Great-grandfather, terminally ill baby meet (Video)
Harry Gillespie, who lives in Vicksburg, met his youngest great- granddaughter, Gwendolyn Strong, who lives in...
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5,000 mile road trip to cure SMA

June 30, 2009 5,000 mile road trip to cure SMA
PALESTINE, TX (KLTV) - They are crossing thousands of miles, hopeful that a cure is around the corner.
 
Bill and...
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SMA Campaign

June 30, 2009 SMA Campaign
Bill and Victoria Strong's daughter has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA.   They describe their 20-month-old daughter...
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Family on 5,000-mile journey to raise...

June 29, 2009 Family on 5,000-mile journey to raise awareness of baby’s illness
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - Strong is a fitting last name for 20-month-old Gwendolyn of Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Little...
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Journey for a Cure

June 27, 2009 Journey for a Cure
PALESTINE — Santa Barbara, Calif. residents Bill and Victoria Strong describe their 20-month-old daughter Gwendolyn...
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Strong Family Takes to the Road

June 22, 2009 Strong Family Takes to the Road
Bill and Victoria Strong are not a couple striving to achieve unrealistic goals. The craziest thing they have ever...
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Race against time: Grandfather, ill...

June 20, 2009 Race against time: Grandfather, ill great-grandchild set for first meeting
Harry Gillespie and his great-granddaughter are in a race against time.
 
Gillespie is 103 and Gwendolyn Strong,...
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Man, 100, to finally meet sick...

June 20, 2009 Man, 100, to finally meet sick great-grandaughter
Since his great-granddaughter was 6 months old, 103-year-old Harry Gillespie has been preparing himself for news of...
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STRONG BOND : Couple hits road to fight...

June 20, 2009 STRONG BOND : Couple hits road to fight disease that’s killing their daughter
Bill and Victoria Strong may not find the cure for spinal muscular atrophy at the end of their 5,000-mile road trip...
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Santa Barbara Family Hits the Road in...

June 20, 2009 Santa Barbara Family Hits the Road in Continued Quest for a Cure
Santa Barbara residents Bill and Victoria Strong left Sunday to begin driving a 5,000-mile journey with their...
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Couple finds strength in fighting for a...

June 19, 2009 Couple finds strength in fighting for a cure
When Bill and Victoria Strong’s daughter was born after a problem-free pregnancy 20 months ago, they had little idea...
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Santa Barbara Toddler Makes One Last...

June 17, 2009 Santa Barbara Toddler Makes One Last Trip (Video)
A terminally ill Santa Barbara toddler will travel 5,000 miles cross-country this week, to meet her 104 year old...
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