Jets Fight Lupus Again!
With the Jets wrapping up their three day mini-camp back on Long Island, stars from the past were asked to help find a cure at the 4th Annual Northern New Jersey Walk With Us to Cure Lupus. Four Jets alumni, on a pleasant Saturday morning, made their way to the Meadowlands to lend their support toward raising funds for the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR). Wesley Walker, Todd Burger, Richard Caster and Bruce Harper were all on hand to meet and greet walkers for this important fundraising event.
Many people don't know the critical role the Jets have played to help create awareness about this potentially deadly disease and the money they've helped raise for research that will help save lives. To date, lupus related events the Jets have supported have generated more than $2 million dollars. And this year, with your help, we hope to raise more money than ever before.
Jets owner Woody Johnson established the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) in 1999. The mission of the organization, for which he serves as Chairman, is to support research for the cure, treatment and prevention of systematic lupus erythematosus and its complications.
Annually this Northern New Jersey Walk raises over $400,000 and 2006 will be no exception. All Jets fans attending the walk had the opportunity to receive autographs and photos from their favorite Jets alumni players. In addition, there were refreshments, entertainment and Generation Jets Fest rides for children of all ages.
"This walk is special because it is one of the pioneers of the Walk program. We started in 2003 and by the end of 2006 this New Jersey Walk will have raised $1.5 million for Lupus research", ALR president Barbara Boyts said when addressing the crowd before the walk. "The Jets have really made a difference for us in this walk when it first started helping to get people out. This walk is also a leader and has spawned another walk in Central New Jersey which raised $125,000 earlier this month."
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic, potentially devastating autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against the body's own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and tissue damage. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. It affects people of all ages, including children, but it most often strikes people when they are between the ages of 15 and 45. Nine out of ten people with lupus are women, while it is three times more common among African American women than among Caucasian women, and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent. For more information please email walks@lupusresearch.org, log onto walk.lupusresearch.org or call the Alliance for Lupus Research toll free at 866-WALK-ALR (925-5257).
