LUPUS RESEARCH FOUNDATION

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720 470 8049

LUPUS RESEARCH FOUNDATION MEDIA KIT

ReganBirr@

Minnesota

Dear valued members of the Media,

We are so pleased you want to learn more about our organization! It is with YOUR help that we have already achieved such great success. THANK YOU SO MUCH! We hope you'll continue to support us. We are SO GRATEFUL and EXCITED to work with you.

And guess what? We are coming up to LUPUS SPIEL NUMBER 5! I'm sure many of you have heard from us regarding Lupus Spiel USA, the largest pro-am for curling in the U.S. This year marks our 5th year anniversary, and we are aiming to raise $100,000! As usual, the focus is on LUPUS RESEARCH! Please consider covering this event again, and thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful coverage in the past. It is May 4-6, at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota, and KEVIN MARTIN returns. He is deemed the greatest curler of all time and is a 2-time Olympic medalist.

The Lupus Research Foundation is FOCUSED ON A CURE. We are led by systemic lupus patient, Regan Birr, (me). I have kidney lupus, and went from being very ill (needing chemotherapy to suppress my immune system), to being very well. It's rare for someone to achieve long-term remission, so that is why I and my husband, Todd, have decided to give back, and to fight! Lupus is curable, and right now our researchers are telling us: 9-YEARS-TO-A-CURE. So it is our mission to fund those researchers for the cure, and raise awareness while doing it!

Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Regan Regan Birr, Executive Director, Lupus Research Foundation Minnesota

Lupus Research Foundation, Minnesota 720 470 8049 ReganBirr@

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Table of Contents:

Our MISSION and VISION

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What sets us apart

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FACT SHEET

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Regan's story

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WHO WE ARE (executive bios)

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Our amazing background and history

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Promotional materials

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Past press coverage

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Quote sheet

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APPENDIX:

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Goals for revenue and expansion

Fun things we do

Future plans

Ask

Upcoming Dates / Events

Our Mission and Vision: Mission: the mission of the Lupus Research Foundation (LRF) is to help find a cure for lupus by raising funds for lupus research and by raising awareness. Vision: we are targeting 9-years-to-a-cure. 93% of the donor's dollar goes toward our missions.

What Sets Us Apart (from other lupus organizations): We are: 1 patient-run: living with lupus, our founder understands the urgency for a cure 2 focused on a cure: more money goes to research compared to other organizations because we have very little overhead (we're small but mighty). Also, we are FOCUSED on 9 years to a cure 3 world-wide: our events are internationally known 4 inclusive: we give our partners freedom to do great work

Lupus Research Foundation, Minnesota 720 470 8049 ReganBirr@

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We Want You to Know (Fact sheet):

Facts about lupus:

Lupus is a life-threatening auto-immune disease. The body's over-active immune system attacks healthy tissue (including organs). One in 210 Americans has lupus. That is 1.5 million. It is more prevalent than AIDS and MS combined. There are 5 million people with lupus worldwide. It mostly affects women (90%), it targets people of color, and usually strikes between the ages of 15 and 45.

CHANCE OF LONG-TERM REMISSION is only 3% (after being very ill). Regan is the EXCEPTION, not the RULE. That's why we need to fight.

The challenges lupus patients face: daily fatigue, joint pain, life-threatening circumstance.

Facts about the LRF:

LRF is a non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Its federal tax ID number is 81-5446248, and it was formed Feb. 19, 2017.

OUR RESEARCHERS are world-renowned. Collaborative. Laser-focused. TARGETING 9-years-toa-cure.

Our researchers are involved in multiple DRUG STUDIES.

Our researchers LEAD the AUTOIMMUNE CENTER at NYU, and work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Regan's Story: Regan has WHO Class IV diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. She was put into remission by early diagnosis and the proper choice of therapy (2.5 years of cyclophosphamide ("Cytoxan"), a breast cancer chemo (she did not have cancer) used to suppress her over-active immune system (and get it to stop attacking her kidneys).

Regan's recovery took about 10 years. So the next 10 years is focused on A CURE.

Lupus Research Foundation, Minnesota 720 470 8049 ReganBirr@

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Regan is still on prednisone and deals with joint pain, but it has gone from keeping her up at night and forcing her to walk with a cane to a low level, so she can live a full, active life.

Others aren't so lucky. Regan falls in the 3% category. That's why she and her team are determined to find a cure. They've also listened to patient-feedback. Together, they've determined that this is the best way to ensure other young women (and men) won't go through what Regan did.

Regan has a friend with the same kind of kidney disease. Regan was saved; her friend wasn't. Her friend is looking for a kidney transplant now, and failing that, will face a greatly reduced life-span. Dialysis cannot sustain her forever, due to already-damaged kidneys. Same disease, but early diagnosis would have made the difference.

That's why research for a cure, and BETTER TREATMENT, will SAVE LIVES.

WHO WE ARE (executive bios):

Along with Regan, we have an amazing group operating the LRF: Execs: Co-founder Todd Birr, world bronze medalist (skip) Men's curling team 2007, co-founder of the Lupus Spiel Julie Jeppson, board member, Director of Stepping Stone Emergency Housing, and city councilperson Dr. Neil Kay, board member, national champion curler, and hematologist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Dr. Timothy Niewold, research rheumatologist and Director of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity, NYU Langone, New York Kim Leppanen, Vice President for Wells Fargo Capital Finance Brian Grabowski, avid curler, and Director of Account Relationships at KPMG Advisory Services

Committee leads: Carrie Benton, trusted advisor, Co-chair of Lupus Spiel USA, head of auctions Andrea Fierst, Volunteer of the Year at Four Seasons Curling Club

Lupus Research Foundation, Minnesota 720 470 8049 ReganBirr@

5 Don Hoffman, Lupus Spiel planner Craig Nicko, Creator of the Mulligan and Buy-a-Tie fundraisers Melissa Majchrzak, Chair of Lupus Spiel Salt Lake City, NBA photographer at Utah Jazz Tony Cover, Co-chair of Lupus Spiel Salt Lake City Sonny Roberge, speaker Team Lupus: 20 volunteers who operate Lupus Spiel USA and advise LRF

Our Amazing Background and History: The LRF formed based on the success of the Lupus Spiel. Lupus Spiel USA raised over $180,000 in four years due to the amazing support of curlers. Curlers care. The LRF was formed to: host the Lupus Spiel, and to expand the mission: increase funding for lupus research by creating other events and endeavors. Lupus Spiel USA is a curling pro-am that takes place over a weekend in May, pairing World class curlers and Olympians with amateur curlers. It is now the largest curling pro-am in the United States. The event has quickly become world-known, and brings in the best curlers in the world. Already, more has been given to lupus research than other organizations with bigger budgets.

Promotional material: we don't yet have a brochure. So PLEASE go to our website! It is

visually everything you need! See: and look for:

Lupus Research Foundation, Minnesota 720 470 8049 ReganBirr@

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