What is in a name, our name - Kaleidoscope
The term “kaleidoscope” is a wonderful metaphor of our mission as an organization and of the medical community’s evolving understanding of lupus as a disease. For one thing, lupus is now recognized as, not so much a single, discrete disease, but rather a collection – a kaleidoscope – of symptoms involving autoimmunity.
Coincidentally, the term kaleidoscope also refers to a collection of butterflies, and the butterfly is the internationally recognized emblem for lupus.
In light of these inspirations, and of our goal to broaden the scope of our programs and community – we have adopted a name that reflects this combination of individuality and diversity – Kaleidoscope Fighting Lupus!
What we're all about
Our Focus
Transform lupus into a widely recognized and treatable disease.
Conduct major awareness campaigns about the disease and its effects.
Attract political, public and individual support in the form of more research and resource dollars in the fight against lupus.
Maintain and advance services and programs for those living with lupus.
Our Actions
Emergency Client Assistance – We provide direct emergency financial assistance and long-term solutions for those living with lupus in our community.*
On Ground Support Groups – No one should fight lupus alone. By building a network of support groups, we provide a way for those living with lupus to share, be heard and learn from each other.
Advocacy and Awareness – Through our educational videos, social media, and community outreach, we are raising understanding and awareness for lupus.
Our Name
The term “Kaleidoscope” is a powerful symbol that reflects both the uniqueness of each individual and the beauty and resiliency of the entire lupus community!
“Kaleidoscope” was also chosen for two other reasons:
- Medically, lupus is more and more, recognized as a collection of symptoms and autoimmune manifestations not just a single, distinct disease. In order to describe this change, the medical community is referring to lupus as a kaleidoscope autoimmune disease –where causes and symptoms seem to move and change.
- Metaphorically, from the very beginning, we adopted the butterfly as a symbol of our organization. It is been reflected in our logo and is internationally recognized as an emblem for lupus. As we broaden our mission to include a larger, more active community, we chose for our name the word that specifically describes a large collection of butterflies - a kaleidoscope!
Our Ultimate Goal
Our goal is to seek a cure for all forms of lupus. We hope for a day when no one has to live with this illness. Until then, we will fight on.
Management Team
Torey Browne
Executive Director
Taylor Garber
Creative Director
Elizabeth Heintz
Technical and Creative Writer
Board of Directors
John Alder
Team Member
John is a pharmacist with over 40 years of experience in retail pharmacy. In that time, he has seen the medications and therapies change dramatically for his patients/customers, especially when it comes to autoimmune diseases. He is using that experience to help others navigate the complexities of the healthcare system, and to bring to Kaleidoscope Fighting Lupus, those important perspectives.
Anneke Haslett
Anneke Haslett
Anneka has been a recruiter at NW Staffing Resources / Legal Northwest for over 20 years, with a focus on placing support staff within the Portland legal market. She is excited to support an organization that does good work in the community, helps raise awareness, and supports people with autoimmune diseases.
Cathy Eason
Cathy Eason
Cathy is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Licensed Massage Therapist in private practice in Portland, Oregon as well as a writer and public lecturer. The Senior NTP Lead Instructor for the Nutritional Therapy Association since 2006, Cathy has taught holistic nutrition to hundreds of students while also developing curriculum and instructional mentoring programs. She serves on the Holistic Nutrition Credentialing Board with the aim of bringing more holistic nutrition professionals into today’s integrated functional medicine model. She enjoys sharing her passion for education and understanding of “the big picture” of healing, and her primary goals now lie in creating healthy communities through good food, deeper investigation of life’s many challenges, and collaborative connections full of laughter and creativity.
Greg Dardis
Greg Dardis
Greg is an assistant professor at Portland State University, primarily in the areas of leading social change, global political ecology, environmental and health sciences. Greg is currently a board member and chair of the Conservation Committee of the Columbia Land Trust, a nonprofit organization devoted to innovatively conserving wildlife habitat, working farms and forestlands in the lower Columbia Basin. Greg is very interested in the medical field’s research in autoimmune diseases and how to best translate this information to the general public.
Susan Payseno
Susan Payseno
Susan Payseno brings to Kaleidoscope Fighting Lupus more than 30 years of human resources and labor relations experience in both the private and public sectors. She was Vice-President of GPI, a management consulting firm in Eugene, OR, where she worked with a variety of wood products industry clients. Susan served in human resources and labor relations positions at several State of Oregon agencies. She is recognized for her knowledge of employee relations and her ability to develop strategies and solutions to client management issues. Susan holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor’s in Social Science from Western Oregon University. She has led several employee relations compliance and best practices initiatives for Kaleidoscope. She continues to provide such guidance and direction in this area. Susan has a family member with lupus.
Our Sponsors
