Baltimore Lupus Walk Launches Newly Merged Chapter

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly merged Lupus Foundation of America-DC/MD/VA Chapter (LFA-DC/MD/VA) at http://www.lupusdmv.org will launch its new tri-state activities with the Third Annual Walk for Lupus Now! Baltimore on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. at Druid Hill Park, 900 Druid Park Lake Drive. Now serving the entire state with an estimated 35,000 lupus patients in Maryland, more than 1,000 walkers will raise funds for free support groups, education and funding to combat lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease with no known cure that can damage any part of the body including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and the brain. There is no fee to walk. Check-in begins at 2 p.m. To register: www.baltimorelupuswalk.org.

"This year's Baltimore Walk is our first, major joint event after merging with Lupus Mid-Atlantic earlier this summer and we expect our turnout to double from last year," said LFA-DC/MD/VA President and CEO Penny Fletcher, whose chapter now serves 80,000 plus lupus patients in District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. "The Walk is vital in helping us provide many free, ongoing services to all lupus patients in Maryland including Living with Lupus workshops and an annual Symposium led by renowned specialists," she said.

Wells Fargo & Company has joined the growing number of Baltimore Walk sponsors with a team led by team member Charnette Taylor-Wright, 33. Taylor-Wright will walk in honor of her sister, Natalee Daley, who died in April at age 36 from complications of lupus just one year after her diagnosis. Daley's lupus symptoms began in May 2009 with swollen legs, rashes and the inability to walk.

"Wells Fargo is committed to serving the needs of the community where we do business and where our team members live and work," said Taylor-Wright. "At Wells Fargo, we support organizations that our team members actively support," she said.

To help celebrate LFA-DC/MD/VA's new merger and to kick off the Baltimore Walk, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will hold a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall to include Fletcher, Taylor-Wright, and longtime Baltimore lupus leaders and sponsors, including First Mariner Bank and the Afro-American.

LFA-DC/MD/VA's free services include workshops on living with lupus and the latest treatments, regular support groups, counseling, support for newly diagnosed patients, a weekly newsletter and more. A Living with Lupus Workshop will be held on Saturday, Aug. 28 in Annapolis and the 23rd Annual Baltimore Symposium  will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 in Owings Mills, Md.

About LFA-DC/MD/VA

Founded in 1974, the Lupus Foundation of America DC/MD/VA Chapter, Inc. provides free, current information, education programs and outreach services to improve the quality of lives for people with lupus while also supporting research. Toll-free number in D.C., Md., Va. and W.Va.: 1-888-349-1167 or 202-349-1167. Web site: http://www.lupusdmv.org.

SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America DC/MD/VA Chapter