Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

Celebrating 10 Years of Dedication!

Ten years ago, Zibby Crawford joined the RLS Foundation as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator alongside newly appointed executive director Karla Dzienkowski. This powerful duo spent weeks traveling to the Foundation’s Rochester headquarters to learn the ropes from outgoing staff and move the foundation to Austin. Ten years later, we celebrate Zibby’s 10th Anniversary with the company and her unwavering dedication.

Every organization has one individual with a vast set of experiences that makes them a “jack of all trades.” If you were to look this up in the dictionary, you’d find Zibby’s name! She has covered many areas of responsibility, from being editor of NightWalkers to planning and coordinating webinars and conferences to overseeing the Foundation’s website. She has now taken on the Membership Coordinator role. It’s a good thing she is the ultimate multitasker!

Before the Foundation, Zibby worked in the high-tech industry but fell in love with the nonprofit sector when she served on the board of the National Charity League, Capital of Texas Chapter (where she met Karla). Zibby's warm and outgoing personality makes her a joy to work with. She always has a book recommendation at the ready! She shares her experience and makes herself available to teach a new skill or lend a hand. She has raised four kids, all still living in Austin, and is now “Gammie” to four grandchildren.

Zibby’s motto is “Spread joy!” and she carries that spirit with her each and every day.

25 Things You Can Do on June 17

The RLS Foundation is made possible by generosity of the RLS community, and we wanted to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU! Without your continued support, we would not have made the strides that we have today. Your donations go towards supporting our Research Grant Program, cultivating our RLS support group networks, allowing staff to travel to globally-recognized sleep medicine conferences, revamping our website, spreading awareness via social media, and much more.

Help us mark our 25th Anniversary on Saturday, June 17, by doing as many of these 25 things as you can to help us spread awareness, and ultimately find a cure for RLS!

1. Join the party! Everyone is a member on June 17! Go to the Member Portal at www.rls.org
2. Sign the Foundation Anniversary card
3. Review RLSF on Charity Navigator to encourage others to support the RLSF cause
4. Sign up a friend, family member or doctor to receive our monthly eFriends newsletter by email
5. Join or renew your RLSF membership on June 17th for only $25 (back to our 1992 membership fee!)
6. Ask your Facebook friends to “like” the RLS Foundation Facebook page
7. Visit the RLSF blog and share your favorite blog post with a friend
8. Make a gift to the RLS Foundation in honor or memory of someone who touched you on your RLS journey
9. Purchase an RLS awareness magnet for your car & help to spread awareness
10. Tweet your “Happy 25th Anniversary RLSF” message using #RLSF25
11. Join the conversation on the RLS Foundation discussion board
12. Be a guest blogger: write a personal story to share with the RLS community and email it to us
13. Attend an RLS support group meeting or reach out to a local volunteer
14. Join the June 17th RLSF Call-a-thon: Call and check in with a friend or family member with RLS
15. Give the gift of an RLS Foundation membership to family, friends and your physician
16. Invite a friend or family member to learn more about RLS by attending a Foundation webinar
17. Become a volunteer Foundation Support Group Leader
18. Have a great healthcare provider? Let us know, we’ll invite them to join our Healthcare Provider Online Directory.
19. Sponsor a scholarship membership for someone in need
20. Buy on AmazonSmile and select the RLS Foundation as your charitable organization. A portion of eligible purchases goes toward finding a #Cure4RLS!
21. Change your Facebook profile picture to our 25th Year Anniversary logo
22. Share The Adventures of Patty Pillow or the RLS Teen Guide with a child or teen in your life with RLS
23. Save 25% on select items in our store during June
24. Learn more about currently funded research on rls.org as we get closer to finding a cure!
25. Email one word to info@rls.org and tell us in one word what the Foundation and your support group means to you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. We will continue to work as hard as we can for you, until there is a #Cure4RLS.

Employee Celebrates Two Years at the Foundation

Last month marks Program Coordinator Chiara Corey’s two-year anniversary at the RLS Foundation. Her areas of responsibility are many – from managing support groups, organizing webinars and Board of Directors meetings, to monitoring social media… It’s a good thing that she is the ultimate multitasker!

“Chiara has a great attitude and is always willing to do whatever it takes to support the RLS community or her peers," Executive Director Karla Dzienkowski said. "I recognize and appreciate her dedication to the RLS Foundation."

Chiara has a degree in communications, and is a Certified Surgical Technologist, which gives her a diverse background that includes marketing, public relations and healthcare; this gives her the perfect skillset to get it all done. If you’ve ever called the office and spoken with Chiara, you’ve experienced her quirky yet adorable Boston twang, as she is a transplant from the Boston/Rhode Island area.

"Chiara is a lot of fun to work with," Membership Coordinator Faith Duncan said. "She is patient, reliable & smart, an excellent teacher, extremely compassionate with members, and has a super witty personality, which makes the office a great environment! I especially enjoy the moments when she breaks out into Italian or crosses her eyes at me!"

Outside the office, her world revolves around Hunter, the extremely handsome, energetic & protective Shih-Poo she rescued many years ago; and Jeffrey, her adopted neighborhood cat. And in a former life, Chiara was both a musician and a dancer! While she doesn’t dance professionally any longer, you might still catch her singing or strumming on Facebook … if you’re lucky.

Thank you for all of your hard work, Kiki! We love you!