Russell Athletic's 80-Year-Old Sweatshirt Goes Glam for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

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    ATLANTA, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate the sweatshirt's 80th
 birthday this fall, Russell Athletic will partner with the Georgia Chapter
 of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to host the annual 65 Roses(R) Ball.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060821/CLM043 )
     Celebrating in high style, the Russell Athletic 65 Roses(R) Sweatshirt
 Ball will be held Saturday, October 14, 2006, at the InterContinental
 Buckhead Hotel. Guests are encouraged to incorporate a favorite sweatshirt
 into their black tie attire for an evening of fine dining, extensive
 auctions and live music. The evening begins with a patron reception at 6:30
 p.m., followed by dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions until
 midnight.
     "Russell Athletic is honored to have the opportunity to help raise
 funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It is wonderful that in
 celebrating the 80th birthday of the sweatshirt, we can raise money for
 cystic fibrosis (CF) research," said Alex Hodges, vice president of
 marketing for Russell Athletic.
     The ball is just one part of Russell's big sweatshirt celebration.
 Hodges said Russell also has plans to celebrate the milestone birthday of
 the sweatshirt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city that made the first
 purchase order for the American comfort icon.
     "Russell Athletic has taken a unique hands-on approach to its
 sponsorship of the sweatshirt ball," said Micki Odom, director of special
 events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Russell Athletic has volunteered
 to donate sweatshirts to area treatment centers and employees will visit
 with the CF patients.
     "Visiting the centers is our way of not simply sponsoring the ball, but
 investing in its purpose -- CF patients. We're looking forward to spending
 time with the young people, learning about CF and leaving a piece of
 Russell Athletic behind," Hodges said.
     "This year's 65 Roses(R) Sweatshirt Ball will be a night to remember,"
 Odom said. "A paparazzi-lined red carpet will lead guests, donned in
 sweatshirts and black tie apparel, into a gala celebration with dinner,
 dancing and auctions. Some of the more than 100 items for auction include
 sweatshirts personally designed and signed by various celebrities. There
 also will be opportunities for guests to decorate and airbrush their
 sweatshirts on-site, and we are hosting a contest among guests for the best
 sweatshirt. These are just some of the exciting ideas we're looking forward
 to implementing this year."
     The gala will honor Dr. Laurence J. Downey, president and CEO of Solvay
 Pharmaceuticals, for his leadership in the development of cystic fibrosis
 therapies. Creon(R), developed by Solvay, continues to be the most
 prescribed pancreatic enzyme preparation in the world and helps cystic
 fibrosis patients digest food and avoid malnutrition.
     The event is co-chaired by Cherie Fuzzell Miller of Brookhaven and Dr.
 Catherine E. Palmier of Duluth.
     The Russell Athletic 65 Roses(R) Sweatshirt Ball tables are available
 from $3,000 and individual tickets are available from $250 by calling the
 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at (404) 325-6973.
     About Russell Athletic: Russell Athletic serves as the flagship brand
 of Russell Corporation. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, it employs 1,800
 people worldwide. For more than 100 years, Russell Athletic has supplied
 America's athletes and teams with the latest innovations to help them
 perform at their best. This fall, Russell Athletic recognizes the 80th
 birthday of the sweatshirt with the company's biggest marketing campaign in
 more than a decade. The sweatshirt was first created by Bennie Russell, son
 of Russell Corporation's founder Benjamin Russell, in 1926 and was first
 used as warm-ups for football and track teams. www.russellathletic.com
     About Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation:
     The 65 Roses(R) Ball is an annual event sponsored by the Cystic
 Fibrosis Foundation to raise funds for research and awareness of cystic
 fibrosis (CF). "Sixty-five roses" is the endearing term many young CF
 patients use to refer to their disease. CF is a genetic disease affecting
 more than 30,000 young people in the United States. Developments in
 treatments and therapies have increased the median age of persons with CF
 to 36.8 years; when the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was founded in 1955,
 most persons with CF did not live to enter elementary school. The Cystic
 Fibrosis Foundation continues to be recognized as one of the "top health
 charities you can trust" because of the commitment to fiscal
 responsibility; nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised in 2005 was invested
 directly in research efforts. www.cff.org www.65rosesball.com
 
 

SOURCE Russell Athletic