At Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Jax was honored to give his first personalized Celiac Journey challenge coin to U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. Our family and Senator Coons had just attended President Joe Biden's Soul of the Nation speech on September 1, 2022, and we were inspired by the President's words, "We, the people, have burning inside each of us the flame of liberty that was lit here at Independence Hall, a flame that lit our way through abolition, the Civil War, Suffrage, the Great Depression, world wars, Civil Rights."
Operation Label Gluten
Historically, challenge coins have been an American military tradition for a century, in which each person's coin is uniquely designed to represent the mission or achievement of an individual or unit. Choosing to give a challenge coin to an individual is a sign of honor and gratitude, and we are grateful for Senator Coons' public service and listening to Jax advocate for his goals at Celiac Journey: increasing Federal funding for Celiac research and requiring that Gluten be labeled on all packaged foods as the 10th Major Food Allergen.
Jax chose the Liberty Bell as some of the featured artwork for his challenge coin to symbolize the flame of liberty burning inside each of us with the goal of overcoming the present state of food insecurity with food freedom for all 3.3 million Celiacs in the United States.
As reported by World News Tonight with David Muir, "eating without fear" is Jax's goal!
Transitioning from the Soul of the Nation to the Stomach of the Nation
Jax has asked Senator Chris Coons to support our policy objective of labeling Gluten as the 10th Major Food Allergen, including in the context of informing the National Strategy that will be announced at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28, 2022. Our recommendation of labeling Gluten comports with the “White House Conference Pillar #2, Integrate nutrition and health: Prioritize the role of nutrition and food security in overall health, including disease prevention and management, and ensure that our health care system addresses the nutrition needs of all people.”
Labeling Gluten will better protect an estimated 3.3 million Americans with Celiac Disease, a potentially life-threatening and life-debilitating food allergy/auto-immune disease, from getting sick when they consume even a trace amount of Gluten.