September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month and Next Step is supporting the young sickle cell community in a number of ways this Fall 2019. Check out the fun happenings below:
I. COMMUNITY EVENTS
1st Annual Next Step Blood Drive
Donate blood to support youth living with sickle cell disease at the 1st Annual Next Step Blood Drive! New England Patriots defensive backs and twins, Devin & Jason McCourty will make special guest appearances during the blood drive. Stay tuned on how you can become a blood donor at the 2019 Next Step Blood Drive!
- Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
- Venue: Reggie Lewis Center at Roxbury Community College
- Hosts: Next Step is hosting in partnership with Tackle Sickle Cell
Stay tuned for information on how you can register to become a blood donor at this event.
2019 Tackle Sickle Cell Casino Night in Boston
Casino Night in Boston will include fun casino games, delicious food, and special guest appearances from hosts Devin and Jason McCourty, plus some of their Super Bowl champion teammates from the New England Patriots!
- Date: Monday, October 28, 2019
- Venue: Royale Boston
- Hosts: Devin & Jason McCourty of the Super Bowl defending champion New England Patriots.
CLICK HERE to purchase individual tickets and for sponsorship information.
II. YOUTH PROGRAMS
3rd Annual Weekend Fall Campference
Next Step is hosting our 3rd Annual Weekend Fall Campference for young adults, ages 18-29, living with sickle cell disease. It will be a weekend of educational workshops and a lot of fun activities as well.
- Date: Friday, November 8th to Sunday, November 10th
- Venue: Next Step Central
- Hosts: Kepler, Quita & Kimberly from Next Step
CLICK HERE to register so you can be part of this life-changing weekend!
STRIVE is a free after-school education program for teens ages 13–18 years that meets once a week. Next Step’s STRIVE program is offered in Boston, New York City and Washington D.C.
Boston
- Start Date: Wednesday, October 2nd
- Time: 5-7pm
- Venue: Next Step Central (99 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139)
New York City
- Start Date: Friday, September 27th
- Time: 4-6pm
- Venue: Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall (1130 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027)
Washington D.C.
- Start Date: Saturday, September 14th
- Time: 12-3pm every second and fourth Saturday of every month
- Venue: University of Maryland, McKeldin Library (7649 Library Lane, College Park, MD 20742)
Contact Kepler to join STRIVE this Fall 2019: kepler@nextstepnet.org/617.864.2921.
Song Studio at Next Step Central
Through Song Studio, music and songwriting opens the door to learning more about yourself, your community, and how to advocate. Yes, we have an awesome, state-of-the-art recording studio, but Song Studio is so much more than that. It’s about you and your truth—how to find your story, your words, and how you want the world to hear it. Our amazing music therapist works with you to develop your story. You create an original song and decide what beat, instruments, and vocals get put down. At the end of the day, it’s your process. Your story. And—in a world where you may not always get to choose what happens—Song Studio lets you decide exactly how you want to honor and present your story to the world.
Contact Quita Christison, Next Step’s Outreach Coordinator, to get involved in Next Step’s music therapy program: quita@nextstepnet.org/617.864.2921.
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