WHEN: October 18, 2002
WHERE: NYC, NY
WHY: Fundraiser for Lyme (Details below)
SPONSORED BY: LDA and GLDTF
RESERVATIONS: reservationfordances.html
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Press Release
SOURCE: Lyme Disease Association and Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force

Oscar nominated actress Mary McDonnell will serve as honorary chairperson of next month’s Time for Lyme Gala to raise awareness and money for Lyme disease research and education. The Gala, sponsored by the Lyme Disease Association and the Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force will take place in New York on October 18 at Manhattan’s Sky Club at 200 Park Ave. on the 56th floor.

McDonnell is the L-D-A’s official spokesperson. In addition to the movie star who was nominated for her role in the hit movie Dances with Wolves, the honorary committee includes Jayni and Chevy Chase, Tommy Hilfiger, Sonia and Paul Tudor Jones, Magee Hickey and Ellen and Chuck Scarborough.

The event will include a cocktail reception, live and silent auctions, and live entertainment. More than five hundred people from the Tri-State area are expected to attend the benefit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the United States after HIV, and the nation’s number one vector-borne disease. Ninety percent of Lyme disease cases are believed to go unreported. The national Lyme Disease Association (LDA) and its affiliate the Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force (GLDTF) want changes, and are fighting to find a better test to determine active infection and, eventually, a cure for Lyme and other tick-borne illness.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. "More than 160,000 people are infected each year, and the one-size-fits-all approach for treatment that many doctors use is often inappropriate," said LDA President and ILADS Board of Directors member Pat Smith.

The Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force and the Lyme Disease Association have agreed to partner with Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center of New York, and are working to open the Columbia Lyme Disease Research Center, the first of its kind in the nation. The Center, under the direction of Dr. Fallon, will conduct research on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. The GLDTF and the LDA are endowing the Center, and three million is required to make the Center operational. Substantial private and corporate donations are needed to fund this research effort, which will be a primary focus of Time for Lyme in New York. Funds raised at the benefit will also be directed at Lyme disease education and prevention awareness.

"I have seen first hand the suffering that comes from Lyme infection," said event co-chair Dana McAvity of the GLDTF. "Those of us who have suffered with Lyme and all those who may be infected in the future need this Center. Time for Lyme in New York is an important first step in getting the funding. It should be a wonderful evening."

The Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force and the Lyme Disease Association are non-profit organizations. Tickets for the benefit begin at $250 per ticket, and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

For information about Time for Lyme, please contact:
Pat Smith - President, LDA Lymeliter@aol.com
Diane Blanchard - Co-President, GLDTF blanchad@optonline.net
Debbie Siciliano - Co-President, GLDTF debbiesis@yahoo.com
Christi O’Connor - Medallion Media (415) 883-2491

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>From Ellen:

Hi folks,

I just want to let people know that there are still tickets left for the cocktail party fundraiser at the Sky Club in Manhattan (200 Park Avenue) next Friday, October 18th from 6-9pm. I think this is a very important event. I will attach a registration form for the event, called Time for Lyme, at the bottom of this post

The fundraiser is being run by the Lyme Disease Association and its affiliate the Greenwich Lyme Disease Task Force. Both these organizations are led by non-salaried volunteers, so that all money collected goes to further the cause of Lyme research and education. These two groups are also the groups that are endowing the Columbia Reseach Center for chronic Lyme disease, which is one of the research projects that will benefit from this fundraiser.

Tickets are priced between $250- $5000 , depending on how people wish to be listed. Tickets are priced so as to bring in the most money for Lyme disease.

I know that many Lyme patients will not be able to go for financial and/or physical reasons, but if you can go please do. If not, please distribute this to anyone you think might be able to go, or to organizations that might want to donate to our cause. If you cannot go, but are able to make a donation of any amount, please do so on the form below. We want to make a huge statement by raising enough money fo fund research and education projects that will get the word out about chronic Lyme and help us finally find a cure.

Governor Pataki will be sending a representative to the fundraiser, which, believe me, is a big step. It would be good for this representative to see the kind of support the Lyme community gives to its research and education projects, and hopefully for him to mingle with those of us with first hand knowledge of this horrible illness. Chuck Scarborough will be the emcee for this event, and a big turnout before a NY TV newsman seems like it would also help our cause.

This event is truly going to help all of us. I wish I was able to write with the flair that really impresses that point on all of us, but all I can do is make my point simply and hope that it comes across that donations to this event are a very, very important part of our saving our own lives.

Thanks,
Ellen
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