The Western New York chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) will celebrate 31 years of Great Strides this year. Great Strides, which is the nations largest national fundraising event, will take place rain or shine on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, 2019 across multiple sites, including Amherst, Buffalo, Jamestown, Lockport, Orchard Park, Rochester and Tonawanda, NY. This weekend long event includes more than 125,000 participants in over 400 walks across the country to help to raise funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis – a rare, genetic disease that progressively limits the ability to breathe and ultimately causes premature death.
Since the program began in 1988, it has raised more than $600 million to help drive advances in CF research and care that have dramatically improved outcomes for people with CF. This year, the CF Foundation hopes to raise an additional $41 million to help support the development of new therapies and, ultimately, help find a cure for all people with CF.
“Every walker who joins us makes a difference in the lives of people living with cystic fibrosis,” said Heather McKeever, executive director for the Western New York CFF chapter. “When we first began, children with CF typically did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, people in our community are living long enough to achieve milestones like graduating high school and getting married. We have made tremendous progress, but too many people are still losing their fight with CF too soon. We still have a long way to go until we reach our goal of a cure for everyone with this terrible disease.”
The event hosts expect over 2,000 walkers across 10 local walk sites in both Western New York and Rochester.
The event includes free food, refreshments and fun activities for the whole family. Check-in for all walks begins at 10 a.m. and all walks kick-off at 11 a.m. Click here to support Great Strides.
The CF Foundation is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.
About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, please go to www.CFF.org.