Burgdorff ERA, the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR), Davis Vision and the Atlantic Health Jets Women’s Organization (AHJWO) present ALR Lupus Awareness Day on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Meadowlands.

This event is designed to increase awareness of lupus, a devastating autoimmune disease, to promote the ALR’s mission to prevent, treat and cure lupus through medical research, and, most important, to raise funds for lupus research.

Jets events supporting the ALR have raised over $6 million for lupus research programs.

Prior to the opening kickoff of the Jets-Arizona Cardinals game at 1 p.m., AHJWO members, ALR staff and volunteers and Burgdorff ERA volunteers will distribute 50,000 purple lupus awareness bracelets and collect donations from fans entering the stadium gates. Brenda Blackmon, Northern New Jersey ALR Walk with Us to Cure Lupus volunteer and My9 news anchor, will serve as an honorary captain for the opening coin toss.

The Alliance for Lupus Research is a national voluntary health organization founded in 1999 and chaired by Robert Wood Johnson IV, owner of the New York Jets. The ALR is based in New York City and has a rapidly expanding volunteer, fundraising and advocacy presence throughout the United States.

As the largest private funder of lupus research in the world, the ALR also advocates for increased federal funding for lupus research. Because the ALR board of directors pays for all administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of every contribution to the ALR goes directly to support lupus research programs. Walk with Us to Cure Lupus is the ALR’s signature grassroots fundraising program.

Lupus is a debilitating and too often fatal disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own cells, tissues and organs, affecting the joints, heart, kidneys, skin, lungs and brain. Lupus is difficult to diagnose and there is no known cure. It is estimated that over 1.4 million Americans are living with lupus. Although there are many men and children with lupus, nine out of 10 diagnosed are women. Lupus is especially prevalent among women of African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American descent.

For more information about the Alliance for Lupus Research, call 800-867-1743 or visit www.lupusresearch.org.