About Us
The Food Allergy Center of Excellence (FACE) Support Group was developed to provide both education and support to the families in our community living with a diagnosis of food allergy. It meets quarterly, is open to all members of the community, and there is no charge to attend. We look forward to meeting new faces!

Parent Support Group 
A parent-led support group meets on the second Tuesday of every month in the Grand Rapids Allergy office lobby.  Our next meeting starts at 7:30 pm.  Rarely we have meeting cancellations due to inclement weather and for other reasons, so it's best to verify meeting times by calling our office before a scheduled meeting.

Our past meetings:
In May of 2011 we explored the coping strategies that children employ throughout their development in dealing with a chronic illness such as food allergy. Although we don't generally think of food allergy as a chronic illness, it is a diagnosis that, for some, is life-long and involves many lifestyle adjustments. Most of our meetings are geared for adults, but for this evening we encouraged children and teens to come learn and share about the experience of being a kid with food allergies.

Thank you to all who joined us last fall for a fantastic night of allergy-free food sampling! The evening began with a review of label reading, followed by a wonderful selection of foods prepared for individuals with multiple food allergies. Thank you to all the vendors who supplied the delicious treats.  Most of the foods sampled can be found at Meijers, Forest Hills Foods, and Harvest Health.  A special thank-you to Erin from Coco Charlotte and Robin from Midge's Muffins for their amazing baked goods!

Our April 2009 meeting exploring the psychosocial aspects of food allergy was one of our highest-attended meetings to date. Child Life Specialists from Helen DeVos Hospital encouraged discussion through games, medical play, and craft projects. Parents also had the opportunity to share their experiences and emotional responses to having a child diagnosed with food allergy. We plan on offering this meeting annually.

In May of 2009, representatives from over 25 schools and daycare facilities attended our seminar on managing food allergy in the school system. Many good ideas were generated, anaphylaxis action plans were reviewed and schools were encouraged to create "Emergency Response Teams" designed to keep our children safe while at school. We plan on offering this meeting annually as well.

Also, view our latest newsletter here.

 

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