How the Arthritis Foundation is transforming lives through education, advocacy, and community partnerships in St. Louis.
In a city where health disparities too often mirror historic lines, the Arthritis Foundation is working to close the gap—one conversation, one family day and one community partnership at a time. In a wide-ranging discussion with the Argus, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois Executive Director Dolores Hardwick underscored a simple truth: arthritis does not discriminate. It touches every age, race and neighborhood—yet too many in our community still lack timely information, access, and support.
Hardwick is quick to dispel the most common myths. Arthritis isn’t just an “older person’s” condition, and it isn’t a single disease. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, and some children are diagnosed as early as 14 months. The Foundation’s response is both practical and personal: education, resources, and community.
Juvenile Arthritis (JA) Family Days bring together parents, kids, and pediatric rheumatologists for learning and connection—movie nights, pumpkin patch meetups, and hands-on guidance that demystifies symptoms, care, and next steps.
An annual JA Family Summit convenes families from across the country for several days of medical updates, resources, and peer support—so no one has to navigate the journey alone.
Hardwick’s team covers the St. Louis metro, north to Columbia, south to Cape Girardeau/Sikeston and across Southern Illinois from Edwardsville to Carbondale. That footprint is matched by an on-the-ground approach: health fairs, community events, and partnerships that make access tangible.
One example: collaborations with local pharmacies to help patients secure affordable medication—including home delivery options—so treatment isn’t stalled by cost or transportation. Another: building a broad coalition of partners—media, nonprofits, clinics, schools—who help carry credible information to those who need it most. (Hardwick credits the St. Louis Argus as a key ally in reaching communities of color with timely, trustworthy information.)
The local office is explicit about diversity, equity, and inclusion—not as a slogan, but as an operating principle. That means inviting more voices to the table: LGBTQIA+ community members, veterans, caregivers and elders. It also means addressing policy upstream. Each year, constituents join the Foundation in Jefferson City for Policy & Advocacy Day, and participate in quarterly briefings that help lawmakers hear directly from those affected. Just as important, the team coaches individuals to self-advocate in medical settings and beyond—because power grows when people know the language and the levers.
Despite strong supporters, funding remains a central hurdle—from underwriting research to sustaining local education and events. The need is urgent: one in four people will be affected by arthritis. The Foundation encourages giving at any level and reminds donors that contributions can be designated to the St. Louis/Missouri market to fuel local programs, materials, and outreach.
How to Support—And Where Your Dollars Go
Beyond direct donations, the Foundation hosts signature events that raise both funds and awareness:
Walk to Cure Arthritis (spring)
Jingle Bell Run 5K (holiday season)
Bone Bash St. Louis — the annual gala, reimagined
This year’s Bone Bash carries an “Emerald City” theme—honoring the Foundation’s signature green and tapping the cultural moment around Wicked. It will be held Saturday, October 11, 6:00–11:00 p.m., at the Moto Museum (408 Locust St.). The evening includes a cocktail hour, program and community honors:
Community Partner of the Year: Healix Infusion Care —recognized in part for mobilizing a donation drive after the May tornado, delivering essentials to impacted city residents.
Volunteers of the Year: Christy and Howard Kaplan—for steadfast service across events, from setup to teardown.
Leon Newman Award: Dr. Vanessa Davis—board member and community connector advancing arthritis awareness and corporate partnerships.
Special Recognition: Dr. Seth Eisen (Washington University in St. Louis) for research that illuminates how arthritis intersects with social determinants of health, particularly in underserved communities.
Hardwick’s blueprint is simple and relentless: show up everywhere the mission fits—schools, employer wellness days, church fairs, university webinars. Invite platforms. Share data. Connect dots. Also, keep expanding the circle through a more diverse board, more neighborhood-level events, and a new Young Professionals group to engage and empower emerging leaders—including young adults living with arthritis who want to help rewrite the narrative.
A Helpline That Answers—24/7
For anyone with questions about symptoms, referrals, or next steps, the Foundation’s Helpline is staffed by trained professionals—not bots—with bilingual support available: 1-800-283-7800. The national website, www.arthritis.org, offers education and live resources; donors can give there and designate gifts to the St. Louis/Missouri market, or contact Hardwick directly to align support with specific events or materials.
Arthritis may be complicated, but the message from the Foundation is not: you are not alone. In Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, help looks like a pediatric specialist explaining options to a parent, a pharmacist easing the cost of medication, a volunteer lacing up for a 5K, a researcher mapping the links between health and housing—and a community newspaper making sure the word gets out. Awareness opens the door. Access keeps it open. With sustained support—and more seats at the table—the Arthritis Foundation intends to make that door easier to find and far easier to walk through.
Linda Pritchard is a soft skills strategist, content writer, fashionista, lover of movies, books and chocolate. When she isn’t consulting, writing or styling, she is aspiring to do and be better.
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