2nd Annual Chiari Awareness Celebration to Raise Awareness of Rare Disorder

The International Chiari Association (ICA) is excited to announce that the 2nd Annual ‘Chiari Awareness Celebration: A Free Family Fun-Fest for the Community’ will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tucker’s Grove County Park. This family-friendly event will feature food, drinks, live music, a silent auction, arts and crafts, an appearance by ICA Mascot Courage the Bear and MUCH MORE. There will also be FREE admission and parking. (Editor’s Note: Chiari is pronounced “kee-AR-ee”)

The day’s activities will include:

Live music from Ukulele Jim, Jamey Geston (of the Wha Wha’s), and Bill and Tyler Browne

Children’s Crafts and Activities

Bouncy House and Face Painting

Silent Auction with lots of great prizes

Food and Beverages

Information Booths

The 2nd annual international “Chiari Awareness Walk”

This year’s event is dedicated to Erica Eldridge, a Chiari Advisor for the ICA, who died on January 23, 2013. She was 38.

The event will also be one of the locations for the 2nd Annual International Chiari Walk. Several other countries including Italy and Canada, along with many U.S. locations, will hold similar walks on this day to bring attention to Chiari malformation, which is a serious neurological disorder.

There are 300,000 people diagnosed with Chiari in the U.S. alone, with females affected three times more often than males. As more doctors become aware of Chiari and access to MRIs become more readily available, the number of people diagnosed is sure to rise. There are estimated to be millions of Chiarians worldwide.

2013 ICA Accomplishments:

 The ICA’s web site (www.chiariassociation.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/chiariassociation) feature Chiari-related news and information. Both have been visited by all 50 states, and the Facebook page has been viewed in 105 countries.

 In addition to our general fund, the ICA also raises money for Chiari Research and the Chiarians’ Assistance Fund. The fund is a financial-aid program which assists Chiarians with their medical expenses.

 Since the ICA was launched in 2011, it continues to be an all-volunteer organization; donations do not go towards rent or salaries.

 The ICA’s Doctor Directory of nearly 100 specialist names and their contact information.  The International Chiari Association Network (ICAN), the ICA’s YouTube channel, now contains a library

of more than 100 videos for news and information.

The 2nd Annual Chiari Awareness Celebration is of great importance to the continued efforts of the ICA as the event helps to expand the organization and assist more patients and their families. To become an event sponsor or donate items for the silent auction, please contact Pete Dal Bello at (805) 570-0484 or by e-mail at pete@ChiariAssociation.org.

To arrange an interview with Founder/President Pete Dal Bello, please contact Joni Kelly, ICA Publicist at 805.682.0270, 805.886.1869 (mobile) or via email at joni@ChiariAssociation.org. For more information on Chiari and the ICA, please visit www.ChiariAssociation.org and be sure to visit the event page on Facebook www.facebook.com/ChiariAwarenessCelebration.