Join our team in the NEDA Walk

Join the Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service team at the second annual Syracuse National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Longbranch Park, off Interstate 90 at the north end of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool.

The fundraising goal of the walk is $45,000 and 60 percent of the proceeds will benefit Ophelia's Place in Liverpool, a nonprofit organization that provides outreach, advocacy and educational services to those impacted by eating disorders, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction. Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service has a Nutrition Clinic office offering outpatient services at Ophelia's Place.

NEDA receives the other 40 percent of the donations.

You can join our team – as a walker, donor or both – by clicking here. Our team’s goal is $1,000.

You can learn more about the walk here.

Ophelia’s Place is raising funds this summer so it can expand and upgrade its Café at 407, which has outgrown its small space. The café opened on a shoestring budget in 2009. Ophelia’s Place and the café are at 407 Tulip St. in Liverpool.

Check-in time for the walk is 9 a.m. on Aug. 24 at the park at 3813 Longbranch Road. The walk is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jenni Schaefer

The walk will feature guest speaker Jenni Schaefer, the author of the best-sellers "Life Without Ed" and "Goodbye Ed, Hello Me," about her struggles with her eating disorder. She recently released a new book, with co-author Jennifer J. Thomas, “Almost Anorexic: Is My (Or My Loved One’s) Relationship with Food a Problem?” Thomas is an assistant professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jenni, also a singer-songwriter, will have copies of her CDs and books available for purchase and will perform several songs. All proceeds from the sale of the books and CDs will be donated to NEDA.

Help support expansion of Cafe at 407

Cafe at 407 is at Ophelia's Place in Liverpool, N.Y.

Cafe at 407, which helps support Ophelia's Place in Liverpool, N.Y., has kicked off a fundraising drive in hopes of expanding its kitchen because the business has really taken off!

Ophelia's Place is holding the fund drive on indiegogo and hopes to raise $20,000 by the end of the day on Aug. 5.

Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service has a Nutrition Clinic outpatient office at Ophelia's Place and strongly supports the expansion and encourages everyone to make a contribution. Even a $1 contribution will help them move closer to their goal.

Ophelia's Place, a support and resource center for individuals and families impacted by eating disorders and disordered eating, opened in 2003 and the cafe opened on a shoestring budget in 2009.

Ophelia's Place empowers people to embrace health, beauty and happiness at any shape and size and encourages people to share the message of celebrating all bodies. The Cafe at 407 community has helped to eliminate the stigma and offers a safe place for everyone.

When the cafe opened, organizers bought a residential stove and freezer and lots of other used equipment. Now, the support from the community has been so great that it has overwhelmed the tiny kitchen. They have just three working burners on the stove, so it's time to upgrade the equipment and facility.

Among their plans:

• Expand the kitchen and storage space.
• Install commercial appliances.
• Upgrade the plumbing and electrical systems, and install an energy-efficient HVAC system.

There is much more to do. Check out the complete list on indiegogo.

We hope you'll visit the Cafe at 407 (that's 407 Tulip St. in Liverpool) the next time you are in the Syracuse area to see what great things were accomplished because of your generosity.

Thank you for reading and contributing!