Mission:

The Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness (The Alliance) is a non-profit organization working to prevent eating disorders and promote a positive body image, free from weight preoccupation and size prejudice. The Alliance offers educational presentations, cutting-edge information and referral, training, advocacy, support and mentoring services.

Who We Are:

In October of 2000, The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness (The Alliance) was created as a source of community outreach, education, awareness, and prevention of the various eating disorders currently plaguing our nation. Our aim is to share the message that recovery from these disorders is possible, and that individuals should not have to suffer or recover alone. We seek to educate individuals, particularly the youth, about the dangers of this epidemic, and to reduce the rate and severity of eating disorders among all ages. The Alliance offers various programs and services both throughout the state and nationwide, as well as advocates for change in eating disorders legislation. Since its inception, The Alliance has offered presentations on eating disorders and their prevention to over 100,000 individuals. The Alliance strives to dispel potential body image and eating disorder issues, aid and empower those currently struggling, and instill a sense of self-love, self-acceptance, and self confidence. Through presentations, seminars, workshops, phone and email support, treatment referrals, support groups, and informational packets, the Alliance offers opportunities for individuals to receive the information they need free of charge.

Staff:

Johanna Kandel, Founder and Executive Director of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in Psychology and minor in Women Studies from The University of Central Florida. Upon graduating in December of 2000, after a ten-year battle with eating disorders, she decided to give back to the community and make a difference in the field of eating disorders by founding The Alliance. Since it’s inception, Johanna has presented eating disorder education and prevention to over 70,000 middle school, high school, and college students all over the country, served as a mentor to many women during their treatment, helped thousands of individuals and their families acquire eating disorder information and support, ran free weekly support groups, advocated for eating disorder legislation on a state and national level, and actively participated in National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.   Johanna has appeared on numerous radio talk shows and news programs (most recently NBC Nightly News and Today Show), has been featured in an array of magazine and newspaper articles (both nationally and internationally), and has written articles for many websites and teen magazines.  She has been honored by the Miss Florida Organization and recognized as “Woman of Year” for making an impact in the lives of young women throughout the state, she has been an ATHENA award nominee and finalist, and most recently named Harlequin Publications, More Than Words, 2008 Award Recipient. Success to Johanna means helping even one person avoid traveling down the same road she did and to continue to use her voice in the fight against eating disorders.   To read Johanna's Story of Recovery, Click Here. To email Johanna, jkandel@eatingdisorderinfo.org Suzanne Spencer is Director of Marketing -  Its hard to say when it all began. I attended a school for the performing arts where I majored in voice, specialized in dance and minored in theatre. I have always been an overachiever and driven internally by desire for perfection. I was known by all as, “Queen of the Artsies.” There were times that questions were asked but I was the master of deception and always knew how to carry on the show. It felt at times like my whole life was a show. There were times I really felt I must be split personality, because I could be so "on" with a crowd, but completely faded away when the lights were off. I could meld into anyone's environment, but did not know how to make one of my own. I could be in a room full of people yet feel completely alone, I struggled with real intimacy and looked for ways to reinvent myself. I ran in many directions thinking this time it would be different yet my Eating Disorder was close behind me and soon caught up to me. What really was key in my recovery was that although the voice of Ed was relentless, deep deep inside, like a little whisper in my head, was another voice...it would be years later that I would learn this little voice, the little light that kept me going was my voice...It took me years to build that voice to fill that deep dark bottomless pit that replaced my soul. I discovered and grew to recognize things that I loved, I took action to build my self esteem, I learned how to fill my own space, I became a friend that a friend would like to have, I learned to recognize my achievements, big and small, and I worked to pursue my dreams. I am now proud to tell you that these dreams have allowed me to travel the world from South America to the Polynesian Islands. I have worked in some of the most sought out industry's such as Club Med, Airlines and Cruise lines. I have formed lifetime friendships and have found intimacy and trust in my relationships. I have had the opportunity to be a representative of an Island which led me to compete in the Olympics of all beauty pageants—the Miss World competition. However what I am most proud of is that I was able to achieve all these dreams in spite of Ed. Today, Ed's voice has diminished into to a faint whisper and now a distant memory.

Contact Us:

THE ALLIANCE FOR EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS Physical Address: 1016 North Dixie Highway West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 13155 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408-3155   Toll Free:  (866) 662-1235 Phone: (561)841-0900 Fax: (561)653 -0043 Email us: info@eatingdisorderinfo.org