Leading National Genetics Foundation to Present Adapted Bikes to Phoenix Area Children with Genetic Conditions at Heartwarming "Day of Caring" Event to be Held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 24th at the Phoenix Convention Center

BETHESDA, Md., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and genetics professionals from around the world will be on hand to present bicycles to 21 local Phoenix-area children from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Little People of America (LPA) as part of ACMG's 2017 Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting and Conference in the Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B-E, Friday, March 24th at 10:30 a.m.

The annual ACMG Foundation Day of Caring is sponsored by the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a prominent national non-profit genetics foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland.

"We are honored and grateful that ACMG has chosen a few MDA families to receive these adaptive bicycles," said Sarah Brambila, MDA Associate Director of Family Support and Clinical Care. "Our mission at MDA not only includes helping kids and adults affected by neuromuscular conditions with research and services, but it also includes helping families live unlimited, and this gift is a perfect example of that initiative."

"There are, of course, obvious challenges facing children with dwarfism, from aches and pains, potential orthopedic surgeries, to the stares and curiosity from the greater public. But perhaps the most frustrating can be the difficulty in easily partaking in life's simple pleasures. Riding a bike is one of those great joys. And yet, for children with dwarfism, finding a bike they can safely and confidently fit on is a daunting and often overly expensive task. Providing these bikes to our kids will allow them to not only have a super fun activity but it will allow them to be on equal footing with their peers and provide them with a relatively low impact exercise. I can't wait to see the joy on my child's face when he races down the street on his new bike, alongside all his friends, without a care in the world," said Mark Povinelli, Membership Director.

"The medical genetics community is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with genetic conditions," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, President of the ACMG Foundation. "We are delighted that we can play a role in helping children with genetic conditions in the Phoenix area. What better way to demonstrate caring than by supporting children with a special surprise that helps them have some of the same experiences that their peers have!" 

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, whose theme is Better Health Through Genetics, supports education, research and a variety of other programs to translate genetic research into better health for all individuals. The ACMG Foundation 2017 Day of Caring is supported by PerkinElmer, members of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics' mission to "translate genes into health" by raising funds to attract the next generation of medical geneticists and genetic counselors, to sponsor important research, to promote information about medical genetics, and much more.

To learn more about the important mission and projects of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and how you too can support this great cause, please visit www.acmgfoundation.org or contact us at [email protected] or 301-718-2014.

Kathy Beal, MBA
[email protected]  

SOURCE ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

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