Her office on Palmetto Street is the former headquarters of former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bennett and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown.
WHAT’S WITH THIS BUILDING?
“The Arthritis Foundation owns it. We purchased it with the help of [State Rep.] Steve Wise and Charlie Bennett. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Jacksonville and was once a hospital. It survived the Fire of 1901 because of its proximity to Hogan’s Creek.”
WHEN DID YOU MOVE IN?
“A few years ago. We were in the old casket factory next door until Corrine Brown changed locations.”
WHAT DOES A REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT DO?
The Northeast Florida Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation covers 12 counties, including Gainesville. “We’re actually going to absorb another five or six because the Northwest Chapter has currently got more than they can handle. My role is fundraising, writing grants, working with the board on strategic planning and constantly looking for alternative funding sources.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK WITH YOU?
“We’re currently looking for a new special events coordinator. We also have a program director, and two administrative people. We also get lots of volunteers. And we have one person part-time in Gainesville.”
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PROGRAMS?
“One of the reasons why we’re taking on new counties is because Northeast Florida has some very effective programs designed to educate people in rural counties about arthritis. We found that even people in rural areas are connected to the web, so we have a ‘control and connect’ system through the Internet to teach people about the different kinds of arthritis, what kinds of medications are available and ways that they can avoid problems with diet and exercise. We also have a very successful aquatic program where we hold classes to help arthritis victims work out in an environment that is more conducive to their disease — the water. And we have support groups for all the different kinds of arthritis. We just want the community to know that there are things that can be done to help and we are here.”
WHAT IS ARTHRITIS?
“Technically, it just means inflammation of the joints. But there are 127 different kinds of arthritis and some are intensely painful and very debilitating. Lupus, gout, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis are all very bad. One especially sinister form of arthritis is scleroderma, which actually causes skin to harden and bone to petrify. It’s awful.”
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT TO GET BY JOINING THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION?
“What we offer is a big picture relative to the disease. Since it’s all we focus on, we can complement a doctor’s recommendation with theories about alternative medicine and insights into how certain drugs have effected different diseases and which ones are on the horizon.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES THIS DISEASE STRIKE?
One out of five people in the country have arthritis and one out of three people in Florida. And 85 percent of young people who have experienced trauma, like from a sports injury, will get arthritis by the time they are 30.
WHAT IS CLYAD?
“That stands for Community Leader of the Year Award Dedication. It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year. This year we’re honoring Sheriff Nat Glover and Fire Chief Ray Alfred.”
WHERE ELSE DO YOU RECEIVE FUNDING?
“We have corporate sponsors like local hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. CSX, KPMG, SunTrust, the Jacksonville Kennel Club, Mac Papers, and many others. We get money from grants and individuals as well. The United Way is a major partner of ours.”
RUNNING A MARATHON?
Joints in Motion is one of their events. “We sponsor a person to run a marathon for arthritis. Usually someone runs for a relative or a friend with the disease. We’ve had 50 people participate in the past. They raise the money and we connect them with a personal trainer, establish a training regiment and organize the trip. We’ve sent people to Dublin, Honolulu, and Disney World in the past. This year we’re going to Alaska, Amsterdam, Dublin, Disney World and West Virginia for the First Annual Chesapeake Bay Run. We also sponsor a similar event locally, the Arthritis Walk in Jacksonville Beach.”
SOME FAMILY BACKGROUND
Johnson is a Jacksonville native. She has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida. She has one son, Kevin, 15.
WHERE ELSE HAVE SHE WORKED?
The Muscular Dystrophy Association, First Baptist Church, where she did its newsletter, a Teen Drug Rehab Center in Michigan and the Leukemia Society. She has also served as president and CEO of the Mental Health Association. “I’ve been here [the Arthritis Foundation] for five years.”
SO YOU LIKE NON-PROFITS?
“How can you tell? I worked for a local TV station here once and I hated it. Especially since I think TV is bad for America.”
IT’S NOT BRAGGING IF . . .
“The Arthritis Foundation was in the red when I took over and now we’re about $40,000 ahead. All of that money will go to research to help discover better ways of helping people with this disease. In 1999, we were Branch of the Year for the state of Florida. We’ve won two national awards for CLYAD, and two state awards.”
DO YOU HAVE ARTHRITIS?
“Yes. Two kinds. Osteoarthritis from an auto accident and fibromyalgia, which is a relatively common women’s disease that causes pain in the shoulders and back. So it’s very rewarding when I know I’m making a difference in other people’s lives.”
— by Sean McManus