Sports Media Celebrities Guy Junker, Stan Savran, Paul Alexander To Co-Host Fundraiser For Pulmonary Fibrosis

Guy Junker & Stan Savran Host Violet Rippy 5K Walk/Run for Second Year for the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis

PITTSBURGH, July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Fox Sports Nets Co-Hosts Guy Junker and Stan Savran will join fellow Pittsburgh media celebrity Paul Alexander to host the Second Annual Violet Rippy 5K Walk/Run for Pulmonary Fibrosis.  The event will be held at the North Shore Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, August 11, 2012, and will benefit the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF).

Junker, Savran and Alexander are well-known figures in sports media for decades in the Pittsburgh area and beyond.  The three are supporting a local woman's efforts to help find treatments and a cure for the deadly lung disease that causes suffocating scarring in the lung tissue and strikes thousands in Pennsylvania.  Tami Rippy lost her mother, Violet Rippy, to PF in 2009  - a disease that has no treatments and no cure.

"We are honored to co-host this event for such a worthy cause that will help build awareness and funding for pulmonary fibrosis," said Guy Junker.  Stan Savran said, "It's a great way to team up with these sports friends and focus on finding treatments and a cure for this deadly lung disease."  "I am honored to be able to co-host such an important and impactful effort," said Paul Alexander.

The Violet Rippy 5K Walk/Run is being organized by Rippy, an advocate for the CPF. Inspired by her mother's plight, Rippy joined the CPF on Capitol Hill fighting for increased funding for PF research via its National Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness efforts and will do so again in September for National Pulmonary Fibrosis Month, assisted with other Run/Walks for the CPF, and is a member of the CPF program, Daughters of PF, which activates women, like Rippy, mostly daughters of PF patients, to raise funding and awareness for the disease.

"PF is such a difficult disease and has caused so much pain for so many families in the Pittsburgh area," said Rippy.  "I want to change things in this disease so that no other families will have to experience what we went through."

Savran serves as the primary host of Pirates and Penguins pregame shows.  During football season, Savran hosts The Mike Tomlin Show and the Mike Tomlin Press Conference and also hosts Savran on Sports on ESPN Radio 970 weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Pittsburgh.  Junker is currently a sports anchor and reporter at WTAE-TV and hosts a daily sports talk show on TRIB Live Radio.  Alexander hosts the morning drive show on sports talk radio station in Pittsburgh, 93.7FM The Fan and serves as a host of Pirates and Penguins pregame & postgame shows on ROOT SPORTS™. 

What:  Violet Rippy 5K Walk/Run for Pulmonary Fibrosis

When:  Saturday August 11, 2012 – Pittsburgh, PA
Registration Opens at 9:00 A.M., Walk Begins at 10 A.M.

Where:  North Shore Riverfront Park
In front of Gate A - Heinz Field (at landing near River)

Registration fee: $15, Children 12 and under: free 

Contact:  To register or for more information, visit www.coalitionforpf.org  or contact Tami Rippy ([email protected] or 888.222.8451x704)

If you're unable to attend or participate in the 5K Walk/Run you can still give via the Rippy fundraising page at: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/tami-rippy/violet-rippy-5k-walkrun-for-pf1

About Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF)
Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring – known as fibrosis -- and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. Approximately 128,000 Americans suffer from PF, and there is currently no known cause or cure. An estimated 48,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. PF is difficult to diagnose and an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis.  Sometimes PF can be linked to a particular cause, such as certain environmental exposures, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, residual infection, or autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis. However, in many instances, no known cause can be established. When this is the case, it is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

About the CPF
The CPF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001 to accelerate research efforts leading to a cure for pulmonary fibrosis (PF), while educating, supporting, and advocating for the community of patients, families, and medical professionals fighting this disease. The CPF funds promising research into new approaches to treat and cure PF; provides patients and families with comprehensive education materials, resources, and hope; serves as a voice for national advocacy of PF issues; and works to improve awareness of PF in the medical community as well as the general public. The CPF's nonprofit partners include many of the most respected medical centers and healthcare organizations in the U.S. With more than 24,000 members nationwide, the CPF is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to advocating for those with PF. For more information please visit www.coalitionforpf.org or call (888) 222-8541.

SOURCE Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis