Press Release:
Fourth Annual “Pipeline to a Cure” for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Announces Sponsors, Host and Entertainment:
— Fuel TV’s Matt Beacham Will Co-Host Pipeline, Pacifico to be the Official Beer and Emily’s Army will headline the Gala–
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (July xx, 2011) – With the Fourth Annual Pipeline to a Cure gala weeks away, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is pleased to announce that Fuel TV’s Matt Beacham will be the event’s co-host, with Shawn Parr, Pacifico will be the official beer sponsor for the event and punk-pop band Emily’s Army will perform.
The Pipeline to a Cure gala takes place on Saturday, August 6, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. Wahoo’s Fish Taco is the event’s title sponsor, and legendary watermen Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama will again serve as honorary co-chairman of the event, having served in this capacity since the inaugural event in 2008.
A sponsor of the US Open of Surfing, Pacifico will extend its hospitality to the guests of Pipeline to a Cure as the official beer sponsor of the event.
Matt Beacham, who most recently hosted Fuel TV’s New Pollution, has been a pro surfer for more than 20 years.
Emily’s Army recently released its debut album, produced by Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) whose son Joey plays drums in the band. The band is named in honor of the cousin of band members Max and Cole Becker who has cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
A few years ago, Australian researchers found that cystic fibrosis children who surfed had significantly healthier lungs. Doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist has a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs, which allows cystic fibrosis patients to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus.
This discovery led researchers to develop a hypertonic saline solution, which cystic fibrosis patients around the world now inhale every day. In essence, cystic fibrosis patients now mimic a “surf session” on a daily basis.
These efforts inspired the Pipeline to a Cure campaign that includes surf and stand-up paddle events for CF families and the August 6th gala.
Encouraged by the response of surfers and the surfing industry, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation chapters in Florida and Virginia will be hosting Pipeline events in 2012.
“The funds raised at Pipeline go directly to life-saving research, and without the support of our sponsors such as Pacifico and people like Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama, and so many others, we would not be able to make the valuable and hopeful progress of new medications in the CF pipeline,” said Paul Motenko, president of the Orange County Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
With no public funding, funds raised from the private sector provide a tremendous and critical lifeline to the more than 70,000 children around the world with cystic fibrosis. The last three events attracted a groundswell of support from the business and surf communities.
Current and past sponsors are Wahoo’s Fish Taco, LAcarGUY, A-Med Health Care, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, American Airlines, Coast Benefit Consultants, BJ’s Restaurants, Crown Imports (Pacfico), Quiksilver, Billabong, O’Neill, Ripcurl, Volcom, HB Surf School, Newport Surf Camp, and Alar Staffing Corporation.
For more information about Pipeline to a Cure or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please call (714) 938-1393 or visit www.pipelinetoacure.com or www.cff.org.
About Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a nonprofit donor-supported organization, is to assure the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease. The Foundation is the leading organization in the United States devoted to cystic fibrosis. It funds and accredits more than 115 CF care centers, 95 adult care programs and 50 affiliate programs, and has 80 chapters and branch offices nationwide.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of the most efficient organizations of its kind. It has received a four-star rating for sound fiscal management from Charity Navigator, the largest independent charity evaluator in the United States and is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. The Foundation’s business model has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health and by publications such as Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek.
