SEVENTH ANNUAL 'SHINE THE LIGHT ON SICKLE CELL' CAMPAIGN UNITES 47 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND MEDICAL PROVIDERS IN THE NORTHEAST U.S. TO RAISE AWARENESS, INCREASE ACCESS TO CARE AND ADVOCATE FOR A UNIVERSAL CURE

Community Action Campaign Coincides With World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, June 19, 2025

Buildings and Landmarks Glow Red In Collective Support

PHILADELPHIA, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the June 19 World Sickle Cell Awareness Day approaches, a collaborative of 47 community-based organizations and medical providers from across the Northeast United States prepares for its 7th annual Shine the Light on Sickle Cell campaign. 

WHAT

The 7th annual Shine the Light on Sickle Cell campaign coincides with World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19 to raise awareness of our country's most common genetic blood disorder, Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), increase access to care for individuals living with SCD, and advocate for a universal cure.

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell features the illumination of public buildings, landmarks, and stadiums in red— the emblematic color red, symbolizing urgency, passion, and unwavering determination in the fight against this disease.

The community campaign also includes events, including local gatherings, educational programs, blood drives, candlelight vigils and walks and 5Ks, and more.

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is supported by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Project.

WHY

SCD is a genetic blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Nationally, more than 100,000 individuals have SCD–one-third of whom reside in the Northeast United States– and an estimated 2 million more carry the Sickle Cell Trait.

The same genetic mutation that causes SCD also protects against malaria, which is why SCD disproportionately affects individuals descended from geographic areas where malaria is more prevalent, like Africa and the Caribbean.

Individuals with SCD face numerous health complications–including stroke, acute chest syndrome, and chronic organ damage–and battle intense pain, fatigue, anemia, and an increased risk of infections., earning them the name of sickle cell warrior. Many warriors lack access to basic care.

While two treatments were recently approved by the FDA, health risk factors and cost severely limit their accessibility. There is no universal cure today for SCD.

SCD remains widely misunderstood and underrepresented in public discourse, although it has recently been featured in two prominent series: 1) Netflix's British superhero series, Supacell, about five Black individuals who unexpectedly develop superpowers linked to a shared family history of sickle cell disease; and 2) Max's medical drama, The Pitt, in which a Black woman experiencing a severe pain crisis is initially misjudged by emergency room doctors and then accurately diagnosed.

WHO

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is organized by SiNERGe (Sickle Cell Improvement in the Northeast Region through Education), a HRSA-supported initiative and collaborative of 47 community-based organizations (CBOs) and Principal Investigators at major medical institutions (full list below).

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell participants include SiNERGe CBOs and their local communities, medical providers, sickle cell warriors, loved ones, and advocates.

WHERE

World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is observed in countries all around the globe.

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is an awareness campaign in the Northeast region of HRSA's Sickle Cell Demonstration Project, which includes New England and the mid-Atlantic, Virginia, West Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Illuminations and community events will take place throughout the month of June. Confirmed landmark illuminations include:

• Baltimore, MD: Bromo Seltzer Tower, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards Warehouse (courtesy of the Maryland Stadium Authority and Baltimore Ravens)
• Camden, NJ: TRIAD1828 Centre
• Newark, NJ: City Hall, Krueger-Scott Mansion, and Source of Knowledge Book Store
• Philadelphia, PA: Bulletin Building, Boat House Row, Cira Center, City Hall, FMC Tower, Franklin Square, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lits Building, PECO, Symphony House Condominium, and 3151 Market Street
• Washington, DC Metro: University of Maryland Medical Centers, Capital Region in Bowie, Largo, and Laurel
• Wilmington, DE: Nemours Estate Water Tower
• Outside the SiNERGe region: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta)

WHEN

Warriors, family members, medical providers, and partners are available now to discuss:

• Shine the Light illuminations and community events
• Warrior and caregivers' personal stories
• Latest treatments and patient outcomes
• Resources and critical points of care – particularly for unaffiliated patients who have lost connection to care during their transition to adulthood.

Contact ShinePR at [email protected] to book an interview or an appearance.

About Shine the Light on Sickle Cell

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is an annual community awareness campaign to celebrate World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19 as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2008 and to advocate for a universal cure. Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is led by a collaborative of 47 nonprofit, community-based organizations in the Northeast United States whose aim is to increase awareness of Sickle Cell Disease and advocate for treatments and better outcomes for individuals with the disease. Learn more at Shine the Light on Sickle Cell.

Media Contact

For interview requests, exclusive insights, images, or further information, please reach out to ShinePR for Shine the Light on Sickle Cell at [email protected].

SiNERGe Community-Based Organizations and Medical Providers (by state):

Connecticut
SCDAA – Connecticut Chapter*
University of Connecticut

Delaware
Christiana Care
Sickle Cell Association of Delaware

District of Columbia
Faces of Our Children
Hemog.l.o.w.bin
Sickle Cell Association of the National Capital Area Inc.

Maine
Newark Beth

Maryland
Armstead-Barnhill Foundation for Sickle Cell Anemia
Association for the Prevention of Sickle Cell Anemia Inc., Harford and Cecil Counties and the Eastern Shore*
Christopher Gipson Sickle Cell Moyamoya Foundation
Eastern Shore of Maryland Sickle Cell Association
Johns Hopkins University
Maryland Sickle Cell Disease Association*
Project Spirit Sickle Cell
Sally's Sunshine Foundation
Sickle Cell Coalition of Maryland
William E. Proudford Sickle Cell Fund Inc.

Massachusetts
Boston University
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts Sickle Cell Disease Association*

New Jersey
Donna T. Darrien Memorial Foundation for Sickle Cell
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Sickle Cell Association of New Jersey*@

New York
Candice's Sickle Cell Fund^
Children's Hospital of Montefiore
New York Sickle Cell Advisory Network
NYC Health + Hospitals
Sickle Cell Advocates of Rochester^
Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation Corp International
Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patients Network*@
Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo^
Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach

Pennsylvania
Children's Sickle Cell Foundation Inc.*#@
Crescent Foundation@
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter*#@
South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council*#
University of Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico
Anemia Falciforme Sickle Cell Disease en Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico

Rhode Island
Patient Action Committee
Rhode Island Hospital

U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix Cancer Specialists

Vermont
University of Vermont

Virginia
Sickle Cell Association Inc.*
Virginia Commonwealth University

West Virginia
CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine

*Chapters of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA)
#Members of the Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Disease Providers Network (PASCDPN)
^Affiliates of Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patients Network (SCTPN)
@HRSA Newborn Screening Grantees

SOURCE Shine the Light on Sickle Cell