The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Raised $252K at Annual Halloween Ball

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - Nov. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- The Southern California chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (http://www.cff.org/) announced today that its annualBlack and Orange Halloween Ballraised $252,000 to support the non-profit’s programs, research and services. This amount has more than doubled the funds raised in prior years. This year’s ball at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach entertained more than 300 guests and was hosted by Jim and Tamara Christian, a Southern California couple whose son was diagnosed with CF at age one.  Festivities included a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions, as well as a dinner and costume ball. Proceeds from the event directly funded medical research and therapies for the fight against cystic fibrosis (CF), a disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.

“The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been behind all major medical advances to provide the means to cure and control the disease. Lifesaving drugs like Kalydeco and this year’s FDA approval of the TOBI Podhaler inhaler device only come to fruition thanks to our sponsors and the funds raised at events like the Black and Orange Ball,” said Mike Shumard, Executive Director. “We are honored to host an annual ball that funds medical research allowing children and adults to live longer, healthier lives with cystic fibrosis.”

         The evening’s guest speaker, Margarete Cassalina has been a volunteer with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for 22 years and spoke about her family’s battle with the disease, which she chronicles in her award-winning memoir, “Beyond Breathing.” With her daughter Jena having passed away from CF at the age of 13, and her son Eric currently facing CF, Cassalina is very passionate about finding a cure.  She was this year’s Bid for a Cure speaker and helped raise over $50,000 of the event’s total funds.

The CFF business model is recognized by the Harvard Business School as one of the most effective charity models in the country with 91 cents of every dollar being invested towards CF research. To date, the annual Black and Orange Ball has raised $567,000, and it is through the Foundation’s tireless efforts that new drugs and treatments are making their way to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval. The average life expectancy of a child living with CF was seven years old when the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was established in 1955; today, due to such advancements, it is 41.

Event sponsors included The R.J. Noble Company, Boar’s Head, Styles for Less, Brown Automotive and other community supporters. For more information on the Orange County office of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation visit http://www.cff.org/chapters/sca/.

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, go to www.cff.org.