SOULRecover: RECOVERFest 2024

Hello all!

I am Lauren and I am a senior in high school in the Philadelphia area. I am writing to ask for a donation to support the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Eating Disorder Research Program.

Eating disorders are the second deadliest form of mental illness. Persuasive in its characteristics, eating disorders affect at least 9 percent or more of the worldwide population. Since the pandemic, concerns have risen and the statistics are alarming. Positively, there is treatment and, recovery is possible with the support from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The CHOP Eating Disorder Research Program works to improve outcomes, identify risk factors, and reduce the burden of illness in children and adolescents. The multi-disciplinary approach is unmatched through evidence-based treatment with medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and nutritionists. 

Last May, I organized an event, SOULRecover, not only reaching my goal of $5,000, but raising $6,500 for funding of two major areas:

-Research on bringing early identification, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders into primary care (that is, helping pediatricians recognize eating disorders)
-Understanding social reward (the positive things about our interactions with others) in adolescents with eating disorders - including the role of social media. For the latter part, CHOP is looking at the role that social media can play in eating disorders/body image.  They will be looking at both males and females with eating disorders and male and female teens without eating disorders.  Adolescents will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires about themselves, their eating, body image, social interactions, and social media use.

Currently, the Eating Disorder Research Program at CHOP is studying 

-Sex Differences in Eating Disorders

-Improving Treatment Outcomes in Youth

-Executive Functioning and Reward

-Naturalistic Outcomes 

-Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

-Social Media and Eating Disorders

-Exercise and Biobehavioral Markers in Eating Disorders

-Weight Change and Health in Youth with Eating Disorders

CHOP needs your help to continue to fund their programs, resulting in treatment programs providing success for patients from near and far. This is what we need to accomplish.  In order to raise money for CHOP, I am working to obtain sponsors for my fundraiser, SOULRecover, a Soulcycle class benefitting the Eating Disorder Research Program at CHOP.  The overall inspiration of these classes bring much encouragement to push through any obstacles you face. Any contribution would be expressed with much gratitude. 

Please reach out with any questions at soulrecover.lauren@gmail.com