Lyme Disease is an issue that effects everyone! Even if it hasn't personally touched your life, you most certainly have come into contact with or already know someone with Lyme disease.
So often we hear about outbreaks and epidemics on the news, with terrifying descriptions and doomsday forecasts, but when info isn't buzzing across our screens or considered the hot new topic, vital knowledge can easily be overlooked or outright ignored.
Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in America with an estimated 300,000+ new infections annually. Anyone can become infected. There is no position of immunity , just varied levels of risk.
Despite this reality information about tick-borne diseases (TBDs) is not readily available and much of what is out there is horribly inaccurate and outdated. Currently there is no set protocol of care for TBDs and there can be many different attitudes and treatment approaches found even within a single medical practice.
Our goal as an organization is to provide a mechanism through which everyday individuals, whether suffering from tick-borne illness or not, can help make a difference in their community, even if that only means donating a few minutes of their time.
This goal is met by fostering awareness of accurate and up-to-date information about TBDs in our communities by making such vital knowledge easy to find.
This can be achieved in numerous ways by L.A.B. volunteers:
Join Our Volunteer Committee:
The Lyme Alliance of the Berkshires Volunteer Committee is meant for those individuals who would like to be involved in the brainstorming, planning and implementation of project ideas by the organization. Committee participants are considered to be members of the Lyme Alliance of the Berkshires.
Educate Yourself:
The #1 way to make a difference is through knowledge! If nothing else feels tangible, take an hour or two out of your busy week and attend one of our monthly TBD awareness meetings or simply educate yourself via our site and our resource links and then share what you have learned with others.
Flyer Distribution:
These are the volunteers we are most in need of. Our coverage area
includes many communities over a vast area, thereby making it nearly impossible to post flyers as widely as we'd like to. Volunteers to distribute flyers
are vital to the growth and success of any organization. These volunteers may also distribute Lyme awareness materials during their work.
Education Materials for Download:
LDA LymeR Primer
ABC's of Lyme Disease (Pediatric Lyme)
LDA Tick Identification Card
ILADS Top Ten Tips to Prevent Chronic Lyme
ILADS Psychiatric Lyme Disease
ILADS What is Lyme?
Education Materials for Download:
LDA LymeR Primer
ABC's of Lyme Disease (Pediatric Lyme)
LDA Tick Identification Card
ILADS Top Ten Tips to Prevent Chronic Lyme
ILADS Psychiatric Lyme Disease
ILADS What is Lyme?
Advocates for Awareness
The Lyme Alliance has many opportunities where we could get more community exposure, such as farmer's markets, but simply don't have the time or numbers to do so. We are looking for volunteers who would represent our organization at local events, to spread awareness and answer questions.
Social Media Allies
In our very modern and connected world social media is a powerful tool to enact change. We need volunteers that are active on social media to help spread awareness about our events and mission, creating a dialog that gets people involved and eager to help make a difference.
To volunteer with us please contact:
berkshirelyme@yahoo.com
