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LDA 3rd Annual Spotlight on Lyme©
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LDA Announces 3rd Annual Spotlight on Lyme©
April 2010, Little Silver – The Lyme Disease Association (LDA) announces the 3rd annual “Spotlight on Lyme” Lyme disease awareness 5K run/walk, which will take place on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ. The proceeds from this fun filled, family oriented event will be used to fund the research and education projects of the national Lyme Disease Association (LDA).
Check-in begins at 9:00 am with a 10:00 am start time for the 5K. The day will also feature games, face painting, prizes, and food. Register by April 23 to receive a t-shirt and pay $25 to register adults and $15 for children age 13 and under. After April 23, the registration fee is $30 for adults and $20 for children. The walk is open to all ages. The run is for ages 10 and up. After the event, families can stay and enjoy the nearby beaches and shopping opportunities.
Trophies will be given to the top male and female finishers. Prizes will also be awarded to the highest fundraisers. Runners and walkers are encouraged to obtain pledges to benefit the LDA. Pledge forms, registration forms and on-line registration are available at www.lymediseaseassociation.org.
Kim Cronin, the Spotlight Chair, is a Little Silver resident and advocate who conceived of the Spotlight idea in 2007 after struggling with misdiagnosis of the disease for nearly a decade. “This debilitating disease often goes unrecognized,” said Cronin. “It can affect every system in the body and can be misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, ALS, lupus, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. To complicate matters, lab tests for Lyme disease are not reliable. You can test negative and still have the disease.”
Pat Smith, LDA president, cited a 5% increase in Lyme case numbers nationally and New Jersey ranking number four nationwide in cases as reasons this event needs to be broadly supported, and highlighted its Monmouth County venue, since the county ranked fifth in case numbers in New Jersey in 2008. She also mentioned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports children 5-14 are at the greatest risk of acquiring Lyme disease.
In organizing the Spotlight on Lyme fundraiser, Cronin hopes the benefits of the event will be twofold: not only raising money for the LDA, which provides grants to Lyme disease researchers, produces educational materials, and organizes educational forums, but also to spread awareness, locally, on the warning signs of what is often called the “great imitator”.
Cronin said, “May has traditionally been National Lyme Disease Awareness Month.We’re trying to raise awareness and dispel old, and often misunderstood information; for instance, many people don’t know a rash does not always occur with Lyme disease and that symptoms may appear days or months after a tick bite.”
The Spotlight on Lyme committee is currently seeking event sponsors with opportunities for signage, webpage, and t-shirt recognition.
For more information or questions please email [email protected].
The New Jersey-based Lyme Disease Association is an all-volunteer national nonprofit, 501 (c) (3), dedicated to Lyme disease education, prevention, raising monies for research, and patient support. Over 96% of all its funds are used for programs.
Press Contacts:
Run/walk information:
Kim Cronin, Walk Chair [email protected]
Lyme disease information:
Pat Smith, President, LDA [email protected]