Leni's Walking Warriors Team Page

Thank you for visiting my Team Fundraising page to support the 2021 Boardman Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma Virtual Fun Walk!

I chose the name Walking Warriors for my team name because 19 years ago when my sister Mariann was diagnosed with Scleroderma our family knew we had a challenge ahead of us and that we were going to face many battles.

Early on we knew that we could not sit idly by and do nothing, we decided to become active Warriors and from the very beginning we took action.

We walked on Capitol Hill, we met with our legislators including then, Governor Strickland, to have Scleroderma recognized as a disease so that patients could have access to insurance coverage for their symptoms and treatments.

We attended National Scleroderma Education Conferences, in Washington, DC., Atlanta, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Chicago and Boston to find answers and to take an active role in making sure Scleroderma was included in the National Institute of Health (NIH) annual budget for funding of research.

On a local level there were no support groups or information available to patients, so we began the Youngstown Support Group which has met for the last 18 years to reach out to those patients, families and care givers who deal with the effects of Scleroderma every day. We have met and grown to know as family all the incredible warriors who deal with this disease and have been a part of our WALKS for the past 18 years.

But the most important and gratify outcome of this challenge has been the outpouring of love, support, encouragement and incredible generosity of all of our family, friends, business associates, colleagues and neighbors who have become PART OF OUR WALKING WARRIORS TO FIND A CURE FOR SCLERODERMA.

My family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your time and your amazing financial support to help us win this WAR. I hope you will once again join me by donating through this site, it is simple. It is also the easiest way to make a contribution to support my team and help raise funds for Scleroderma research, education and patient support.

With Gods blessing we will continue to WALK as WARRIORS until a cure is found.

With Love and Gratitude
Leni Schulz