February 2, 1999
 

Dear Interested Party:

My name is Patricia McCabe and I am a fellow member of the Washington Area Marfan Support Group. I am happy to announce that a few other members and myself have gotten together to plan this year's first annual Marfan Walk. This walk was started several years ago by the Northern Illinois Chapter with the hope that it will at some point be a national event.

The date set for the walk is Sunday, June 13, 1999. The purpose will be to raise money for public awareness and research. It will also be a great opportunity to have a fun time and support a great cause. We hope a lot of individuals and families will come and join in the fun.

We are still very much in the planning phase and would love your input. Does anyone know of a company, business, or individual that might be willing to donate prizes or gift certificates for the event? This could be anything from a donation of food/beverage for after the walk, restaurant or store gift certificates, or services to be donated. Any ideas are welcome. We are still working on the location site.

The costs are not determined yet but there will be a small registration fee (including a family rate) and also the opportunity to raise additional money through individual sponsors. There will be gift bags for each participant including a Marfan Walk t-shirt and other goodies.

We need participants for the Walk and volunteers to help out with the planning of the event and before & during the event. Please contact me if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments. You can call me at (202) 537-0523 or send email to patricia_mccabe@hotmail.com. As plans progress we will put additional information on the support group website and have more details at the spring meeting. Please save the date for the walk and start recruiting participants now. Thanks!

Sincerely,
Patricia A. McCabe