For decades, the National MPS Society has brought families together through conferences, support programs and advocacy initiatives. But as leaders at the organization listened more closely to the community they serve, one reality became increasingly clear in recent years: many families impacted by
#mucopolysaccharidosis (
#MPS) and
#mucolipidosis (
#ML) were still not being reached.
“We’ve always known the importance of getting families and people together,” says Terri Klein, President and CEO of the National
@MPSSociety. “But what if we could bring families together that we didn’t already know – families who may not be members of the Society, who may not be connected in other ways, and who may have more need?”
A new approach to community outreach called Crossing Paths emerged as a response to help proactively find families, listen to their realities, and begin breaking down barriers to care and connection. Rather than waiting for families to find the organization, Crossing Paths brings the National MPS Society into neighborhoods and communities across the country where engagement has historically been the lowest, creating welcoming, local gatherings designed to foster trust and understanding.
More than three years in, the team has held 18 Crossing Paths events across the country that have helped bring additional families into the fold, driving greater equity and contributing to a more holistic understanding about the needs of the community.
“Our biggest learning from Crossing Paths has been that we don’t know what we don’t know. And so we have to listen to the community,” says Leslie Urdaneta, Director of Family Support and Pathways at the National MPS Society. “We have to listen to these families first.”
Learn more about Crossing Paths in the second installment of our two-part video series on the National MPS Society’s community programming:
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