Zalena Bassin Peterson and her husband Jeremiah are joining Team Challenge again this year to raise money for The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

CCFA is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D.

Their mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults like Zalena affected by these diseases. Zalena was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in January 2008, when she underwent surgery to have 13 inches of her colon removed.

Crohn's Disease also known as regional enteritis, is an inflammatory disease of the intestines that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms. It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is at its worst), vomiting, or weight loss, but may also cause complications outside the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, tiredness, and lack of concentration.

One of the great things about CCFA is Camp Oasis. Camp Oasis is a co-ed residential camp program that's mission is to enrich the lives of children with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by providing a safe and supportive camp community.

This can be a life changing experience for a child suffering from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and it gives them the opportunity to meet other children their age who have the same medical condition. There is a video here on what the camp is like.

We ask that you help in any way you can. Please help CCFA find a cure and be able to send more children to camps like Camp Oasis with your donation today.

To help encourage you, they are going to walk a half marathon at the Las Vegas Rock N' Roll Half Marathon on December 4, 2011.

The recommend donation is $2 a mile, which is $26, however any donation amount is always welcome and goes a long way toward helping those in need.