About Our Mission

The Foundation is a wish-granting organization whose mission is to make dreams and wishes a reality for children living with Juvenile Arthritis.

About JGCAF

The Jeffrey Gottfurcht Children’s Arthritis Foundation (the “Foundation”) was founded in September 2009 by Jeffrey Gottfurcht. Eight years ago at the age of 27, Jeffrey was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. He had periodically experienced swollen fingers and wrists and  had stiff joints throughout his late teens and early 20’s: he thought these were  merely an allergic reactions. Finally, a Rheumatoid Arthritis specialist at Stanford  confirmed the diagnosis. An avid mountain climber, Jeffrey decided he could not  just give in and with a can-do attitude  committed to training for and climbing  Mount Everest in 2011, thereby fulfilling his number 1 dream. Jeffrey wanted to share his determination to fight Rheumatoid Arthritis while bringing joy, strength and support to others afflicted with this lifelong disease. Jeffrey chose to focus on fulfilling the dreams of children suffering from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis because as a father of 3, he understands the importance  of creating positive memories in a child’s life. The Foundation hopes to inspire, educate and generate awareness while those suffering with this lifelong disease optimistically await a cure.

Granting Wishes

The Foundation’s mandate is to fulfill the dreams of children afflicted with Juvenile Arthritis. Referrals for dreams will come from parents, guardians,  members of the medical community, support-related  websites and children suffering from Juvenile Rheumatoid  Arthritis. The Foundation’s Dream Team will select the dreams that are prudent and possible to make a reality. The Foundation’s president will visit the child and present the dream come true. Wishes should fall under the following categories: 1) “I wish I could go…”, 2) “I wish I could meet…”, 3) “I wish to be…”, and 4) “I wish to have…”.