This year, NHF celebrates its 75th anniversary. And in honor of this incredible milestone, NHF is welcoming a new era for the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community by creating a more equitable future for all. This new moment in time will include ongoing and reemphasized priorities, such as eliminating barriers to care, fostering opportunities to interact with the community, and increasing diversity and inclusion in research and advocacy efforts.
In order to support this vision, longtime friends of NHF Steve and Sheila Kopenitz have committed funding for a multi-year effort. Their generous gift will support the Connections for Learning program, which funds qualifying families’ travel to the annual Bleeding Disorders Conference (BDC), and a variety of other health equity initiatives.
While this recent gift comes right in time to celebrate the 75th anniversary's spirit of inclusivity and equity, the Kopenitz’s have supported the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community for years.
Steve and Sheila’s oldest grandson was diagnosed with hemophilia A in 2017. Their first reaction was to learn everything they could about the disorder. Soon after, they attended BDC with their family and discovered the power and support that comes with interacting with families in the same situation as them. This knowledge was extremely important when their youngest grandson was also born with hemophilia A in 2020. Having had this experience, Steve and Sheila felt that everyone who wanted to attend BDC should be able to.
Since then, the Kopenitz’s have wasted no time giving back to the community. In 2018, they began donating to Connections for Learning. The following year, they made a multi-year financial commitment to NHF to ensure that cost barriers would not keep families from attending BDC.
They were named NHF’s Philanthropists of the Year in 2020 and, in 2021, they began supporting health equity initiatives. In 2022, the family launched the No Limitations Field Day to spread the word that people with blood and bleeding disorders, like their grandsons, can play and get active just like anyone else.
Thanks to the Kopenitz’s kindness, NHF can further its mission to honor the blood and bleeding disorder community’s past by creating a more inclusive and equitable future.
If you'd like to join the Kopenitz’s in supporting the next era for the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community, visit NHF’s donation page here.
