SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- CSP's Charitable Alliance of Restaurant & Retail Executives (CARRE) Foundation is pleased to announce that more than $240,000 in funding has been raised with the generous support of Outlook Leadership's convenience retailing community to support Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) research.
MSA is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease with no identified cause, treatments or cure. CARRE has partnered with the MSA Coalition, Translation Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Outlook Leadership community to raise funding and awareness to find a cure for MSA.
Hess Corp., Huck's, Nestle Waters North America and Tedeschi Food Shops led and bolstered the fundraising efforts throughout the Outlook Leadership conference for CARRE and The Quest to Cure MSA in Honor of Rex Griswold and Tom Gillard (or Quest to Cure MSA).
A new sense of hope for humanity was felt by all who attended Outlook Leadership this year. "Advocacy plays an increasingly important role in raising awareness, and much needed funding, in today's research environment. The commitment of CSP through its Outlook Leadership conference and CARRE's on-site efforts are a perfect example of how science can partner with industry to make a substantial difference, and accelerate progress, against a rare disease like multiple system atrophy," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, president and research director of the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
Honorary Outlook Leadership guest, Tom Gillard, formerly of Tropicana, QTG and MET-Rx, said, "Outlook was an outstanding effort to raise awareness of MSA. Through its fundraising, a great deal of research will hopefully aid in unlocking the answer to MSA."
Rex Griswold, Nestle Waters North America's vice president of sales, and his family, also joined the Outlook Leadership community to take part in supporting the initiation of this historic research. After Outlook, Rex stated, "New hope to finding a cure for MSA has been realized from the CARRE Foundation through funds raised at the Outlook conference. Besides groundbreaking research by TGen, the MSA Coalition is going to be able to fund research that is high on their priority list!"
"The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition could not be more pleased with the level of awareness and the donations generated by the CARRE Foundation during the annual CSP Outlook Leadership conference" stated Judy Biedenharn, president of The MSA Coalition. "The conference presentations regarding MSA were outstanding. You could see how moved attendees were by the courage being demonstrated by their two colleagues who are fighting this rare disease. There weren't many dry eyes in the room after the session on MSA. Later this year the MSA Coalition will be reviewing MSA research grant proposals and awarding research grants to help find a cause and a cure. The money raised by CARRE will allow us to fund significantly more research and gives us better hope of achieving a breakthrough in the near future. We are truly thankful to the CARRE Foundation for their dedication to our cause."
Upcoming MSA research projects include MSA Patient Registry, identification of early stage bio-markers for MSA, study of neuroprotective agents, stem cell research, study of the role of alpha-synulein and DNS research.
For more information or to donate to The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, please visit: www.MultipleSystemAtrophy.org.
A special thanks to those who donated $1,000 or more to Multiple System Atrophy research.
To make a donation, please visit: www.QuestToCureMSA.com.
Multiple system atrophy (previously known as Shy-Drager Syndrome) is a rare and fatal disorder with less than 15,000 Americans diagnosed and 35,000 undiagnosed at any given time. According to the National Institutes of Health, "Multiple system atrophy is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by symptoms of autonomic nervous system failure such as fainting spells and bladder control problems (neurogenic orthostatic hypotension), combined with motor control symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, and loss of muscle coordination. MSA affects both men and women primarily in their 50s. MSA tends to advance rapidly over the course of nine to 10 years, with progressive loss of motor skills, eventual confinement to bed and death. There is no remission from the disease. There is currently no cure is available."
At CSP's Leadership Conferences & Events, our CARRE Foundation (Charitable Alliance of Restaurant and Retail Executives) plays a critical role in the attendee experience. CARRE Foundation's purpose is to provide leadership through charitable giving while building stronger relationships and bonds within our conference community. Primary support will be to other nonprofit organizations, including, but not limited to, those that assist others suffering from disability, disease, illness and other hardships, as well as organizations that promote the development of programs that extol the virtues of leadership.
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based CSP Business Media, publisher of CSP, Convenience Store Products, FoodService Director and Restaurant Business magazines, is a market-dominant, business-to-business, multimedia communication company specializing in the convenience retailing, restaurant and on-the-go food industries. In addition to its print products, CSP Business Media has an extensive portfolio of online products including enewsletter (including CSP Daily News), websites, web conferences, CSPTV and other video products, mobile applications and custom solutions. And CSP Leadership Conferences & Events produces more than 20 major EduNetworking live conferences and focused meetings.
The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition is a positive beacon of hope standing up to a little known, rare, insidious disorder. Made up of dedicated volunteers, The MSA Coalition has a primary purpose of encouraging and funding research to find a cure. The Coalition also provides much needed patient and caregiver support, educational resources, and advocacy to create awareness and to fight for issues important to the MSA community. At present, as much as 75% of all donations go directly into a dedicated Multiple System Atrophy Research Fund, which now supports a research grant program. The MSA Coalition also has a world-class scientific advisory board (SAB) to review and award research grants to the most promising MSA research proposals.
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused on helping patients with cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process.
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