MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release, June 2, 2008
For more information, contact
Rebecca Lestner at 703-960-1100 rebecca.lestner@lls.org
Edith Wooten at 202-306-0708 edithbwooten1@yahoo.com
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to Name Local 2008 Man and Woman of the Year
ALEXANDRIA, VA – At a black tie gala to be held on June 14 in the elegant Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in downtown Washington, D.C., The National Capital Area (NCA) chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will announce the names of the 2008 Man and Woman of the Year. The gala marks the finish of a fundraising competition that launched on April 10, involves 16 candidates, their campaign teams and hundreds of Washingtonians who are supporting them. Local winners will go on to compete for the national title, which will be announced later in the summer.
The NCA chapter has been the nation’s top fundraising chapter for the past six years, and local campaign winners have won the national title eight times in the past seven years. Last year, the campaign raised more than $860,000. Although the amount raised is a closely guarded secret until it is announced at the final gala, organizers did say that this year’s field is well on its way to breaking another record.
WHO: The National Capital Area Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
WHAT: 2008 Man & Woman of the Year Campaign Grand Finale Gala; Cocktail Reception, Silent Auction, Dinner, Program, Dancing
WHEN: 6:00 – 11:30 p.m., Saturday, June 14, 2008
WHERE: The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium; 1301 Constitution Ave. NW , Washington , DC
WHY: Proceeds benefit LLS’s Mission: to cure blood cancers and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
For more information about the campaign, call Rebecca Lestner at 703-960-1100 or visit http://www.lls.org/ncamanandwoman.
About the Man and Woman of the Year Campaign:
The Man and Woman of the Year Campaign is a fundraising competition organized by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Every year hundreds of candidates compete locally for the title in 40 plus cities nationwide, raising money for the Society over a 10-week period. Titles are awarded to both the man and the woman in each city who raises the most money for the Society. Money raised will benefit the Society’s mission, to cure blood cancers and to improve the lives of patients and their families.
The 2008 candidates are: Jarret Blum, Smith Barney, of McLean, VA; Chartese Burnett, Washington Nationals Baseball Club, of Bowie, MD; Rachel Caplan, Equinox Fitness Clubs, of Vienna, VA; Mark Colaco, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., of Washington, DC; Dan Cole, Consumer Electronics Association, of Sterling, VA; Jim Galvanek, Gensler, of Washington, DC; Donna Hamaker, KDH Real Estate, of McLean, VA; Tony Hudgins, Modern Luxury Media and Play Lounge, of Washington, DC; Michael Kibler, KUSH Inc., of Washington, DC; Stephanie Kundrotas, SAIC, of Alexandria, VA; Jacqueline Montgomery, Smith Barney, of Haymarket, VA; Scott Newman, Edison Worldwide, of Laurel, MD; Lindsey Threlkeld, Accenture, of Washington, DC; Andrea Van Dell, LEX on Demand, of Washington, DC; John C. Villar, HSBC National Bank USA, of Alexandria, VA; Matthew Wallace, Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, of McLean, VA. The 2008 co-chairs are Ken Dineen of Accenture and Allison Gurnitz of Coray Gurnitz Consulting, and the 2008 honorary Chairs are Alison Starling, ABC7/WJLA-TV’s Good Morning Washington Co-Anchor and Brian Egan, WMZW Morning Show Host
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest private organization concerned solely with funding research toward cures for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The Society was established in 1949 as the deVilliers Foundation, named in memory of Robert Roesler deVilliers who died of leukemia at the age of sixteen. The Society is dedicated to being one of the top-rated voluntary health agencies in terms of dollars that directly fund the mission: 75% of the Society’s expenditures are directed to research, patient and community services, advocacy and education. The Society has 68 chapters, and the National Capital Area Chapter is the highest revenue-generating chapter in the nation. The National Capital Area Chapter serves Washington DC; the Maryland counties of Prince George and Montgomery ; and the Virginia Counties of Loudoun, Fairfax , Arlington , Alexandria and Prince William. More than 2,500 patients and families are served by the chapter each year. For more information, visit www.lls.org/nca.
