make plans to join us for Clevelands First Gluten Free Festival at celi-safe’s fall fest! now Accepting Volunteers & Sponsors!
every child deserves to feel safe, confident, and proud of who they are, & every family deserves access to resources that make the journey easier.
Celi-Safe is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to making celiac disease education simple, accessible, and truly designed for kids. We believe understanding your own body should never feel impossible. Through child-friendly education and practical resources, we empower children, families, caregivers, educators, and communities to navigate a gluten-free lifestyle with greater confidence, less overwhelm, and more joy.Why this work matters
1 in 133: The number of American children living with celiac disease | Source: Beyond Celiac6 to 10 years: How long the average family waits for the right diagnosis | Source: Beyond Celiac83% Of those with celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed | Source: Beyond Celiac"I just need someone to tell me what to buy my child." Does this sound like you?That's why Celi-Safe exists.
too many families are going at it alone
When a child is diagnosed with celiac disease, the information that follows is usually written for doctors, not for a seven-year-old sitting at the kitchen table. Not for the parent who just spent an hour in the grocery store reading labels and crying in the cereal aisle.
Celi-Safe was founded by Crystal Drennon, a licensed psychotherapist and mom, who saw that gap and knew families deserved better. She created Celi-Safe to provide the kind of resources she wished every newly diagnosed family had: child-friendly, engaging, and easy to understand.
We believe every child deserves to understand their own body. Every parent deserves practical tools—not just a stack of medical pamphlets. And every family deserves to feel supported, confident, and hopeful as they learn to navigate life with celiac disease.
A celiac diagnosis doesn't define a child, it simply becomes one part of their story.
And that is what we are here for.
We create the tools that nobody handed us.
Everything we do connects back to the same goal: making sure no child feels alone in this and no parent feels lost.❊ what we do ❊
We develop child-friendly materials that explain celiac disease in language kids actually understand. That means books, activity sheets, and character-based content built for little hands and big questions. Our book Celi's Story was written specifically for children ages 3 to 7 and follows a character named Celi who navigates life with celiac disease. It is the kind of book that starts a conversation your child actually wants to have.Education
Your child spends most of their day with people who have never heard of celiac disease. We create awareness resources for schools, classrooms, and communities so the teachers, coaches, and caregivers in your child's life know how to keep them safe. We even created a customizable booklet your child can hand directly to the adults in their life. It explains celiac disease in simple, friendly language and tells them exactly what they need to know to keep your child safe.Awareness
A diagnosis does not come with a roadmap. Celi-Safe is building community-based support programs to help newly diagnosed families find their footing, connect with others who get it, and feel less alone in the process. More is coming, and we are just getting started.Support
Meet Celi
A book your child will ask you to read again and again.Crystal did not just start a nonprofit. She sat down and wrote the book with her 6 year old. One she wished existed when families like yours needed it most.Celi's Story follows a lovable character named Celi through the everyday moments that kids with celiac disease actually face. The lunchroom. The birthday party. The sleepover. Written for children ages 3 to 12, it turns a complicated diagnosis into a story a child can hold in their hands, relate to, and feel proud of.Because when a child sees themselves in a book, something shifts. They stop feeling different and start feeling understood.Give the people who love your child the tools to keep them safe.
We've also created the Celi-Safe Buddy Booklet, a customizable resource your child can hand to anyone who spends time with them. Their teacher. Their grandparent. Their babysitter. Their coach.It explains what celiac disease is, what to watch out for, and how to keep your child safe in a way that feels warm, simple, and easy to understand. No medical jargon. No overwhelm. Just everything the important people in your child's life need to know, in a format your child can actually be part of sharing.Because you cannot be everywhere. But this booklet can.
Get involved
This mission only works if we do it together.
Celi-Safe is a grassroots nonprofit just getting started. Every person who shares, donates,
or shows up makes it possible to reach one more family who needs us.
Make a donation! Every dollar goes directly toward creating free educational resources and material for children and families who cannot afford to navigate this alone. You can donate directly through our Givebutter campaign page and know exactly where your money is going.Join The Safe Snack Squad & Donate Here →Volunteer Are you a teacher, designer, social worker, writer, or just someone who cares deeply about this community? We would love to have you. Reach out and tell us how you want to help.Contact us to volunteer →Spread the word. You probably know a family who needs Celi-Safe right now. Share our page, share the book, share this mission. Awareness costs nothing and changes everything.Share Celi-Safe →