Worcester – The Eleventh Annual Worcester Stepping Out for a Cure for Scleroderma Walk will be held Sunday, May 5, rain or shine, from the Bancroft School in Worcester. Sign-in begins at 10 a.m. in the school's gymnasium at 110 Shore Dr., with the 5K Walk around Indian Lake stepping off at 12 noon. Refreshments will be served following the walk. There is no registration fee or minimum pledge requirement to take part in the Walk.
This year's Walk is being organized by the Worcester Scleroderma Support Group of the Scleroderma Foundation New England (SFNE). Also, the members of the Bancroft School's sophomore class have adopted the Walk as a class project. In addition, other Bancroft students and staff members are providing valuable assistance and support.
Scleroderma is a chronic, often progressive, autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. The disease, which literally means “hard skin,” can cause thickening and tightening of skin, as well as serious damage to internal organs. Scleroderma occurs three to four times more often in women than in men, and in children and elders too. Its cause is not known and, presently, there is no cure.
Proceeds from the walk will support SFNE's mission to provide educational and emotional support to people with scleroderma and their families and enhancing public awareness about this disease. Also, the proceeds from recent year's walks helped make it possible for SFNE to provide $150,000 to underwrite national research to identify the cause of and find the cure for scleroderma.
Registration information, personalized web-based pledge pages through Convio, and other details can be obtained at www.scleroderma.org/steppingoutworcester or by calling the SFNE Office toll-free at 888-525-0658.
Individuals registering prior to the Walk and those setting up Convio pages will receive a free Walk T-shirt. Those registering on Walk Day, May 5, will be asked to consider making a $10 donation for a T-shirt, while supplies last.
Questions can be e-mailed to [email protected] or called into the SFNE Office.
