Kaufman, Rossin in the Community: Huntington’s Disease Society of America

Jeff Cohen talks about his community involvement.

Which organization are you involved in and what is its objective?

The parent organization is the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, the South Florida Chapter. My direct involvement, however, is with the society’s largest fundraising event of the year: the Huntington’s Disease Triathlon.  This is the 22nd year of this fantastic event, which is built  upon the dedicated volunteers and is one of the few 100% charity sporting events. I say this because even though many events promote a charity, very few depend entirely on a volunteer staff, enabling every penny
raised to go directly to the charity. The organization’s objective is to support and promote research to help find a cure to Huntington’s Disease, to help individuals and families affected by the disease and to educate the public and health care professionals.

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of cognitive, behavioral and physical control, and for which, presently, there is no treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. More than 30,000 people in the United States are currently diagnosed with HD.

What is your role with the organization?

My mom, Patty Cohen, and her best friend, Debbie Gomberg, are the co-race directors of the HD Triathlon. Due to this, I have been actively involved in every aspect of the event since its inaugural year in 1992. Ranging from working water stations and stuffing packets into late hours of the night when I was younger, to more recently managing the event, I have covered almost every role imaginable.  Currently today, I am working behind the scenes all year long assisting the directors during the planning phase and managing a piece of the event come setup and race day.

Why did you decide to get involved in this organization?

Initially as a child, my involvement wasn’t voluntary as my mom rolled me out of bed at 4 a.m. once a year to go and volunteer.  Once I reached the age of being able to understand why I was there and the underlying cause, she never again had to ask for my help.  Not only have I seen those close to me suffer over many years with HD, but I have also witnessed the excitement and joy on the faces of different HD patients that attend the event year after year.  Knowing that I am a part of something that can bring this much happiness to a person that is so debilitated from a disease they have absolutely no control over is the reason why after 22 years I remain involved with the Huntington’s Disease Triathlon.

How has Kaufman, Rossin contributed to your success with this organization?

This year, through its monthly charity jeans day fundraiser, Kaufman, Rossin is helping me raise money for the organization. Additionally, on the contrary to this question, I can say that my experiences at the Huntington’s Disease Triathlon have assisted in my success at Kaufman, Rossin.  From my initial interview with a director who had participated in the event to learning how to handle difficult situations, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without those experiences.

What is your advice for others who are thinking about getting involved in the community?

It is important, for many reasons, to be involved in the community.  If there is one piece of advice I can offer, it is to become involved in something you are passionate about and  you can directly relate to.  From my experience at HD and other various charity organizations I have worked with, this was always a key in the organization’s success. For example, there are very few triathlon events that have been around for more than 20 years, including for profit and not-for-profit events.  HD has not only been around for 22 years, but has successfully raised more than $1.3 million during this time.  The only reason this has been possible is because every single volunteer, from the race directors down, are passionate about the cause and have either directly or indirectly been affected by Huntington’s Disease.