Please join us for the 2023 Lupus Research Alliance “Walk to Cure Lupus,” taking place on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at MetLife Stadium! This year’s Walk will honor two members of the Riker Danzig community for 20 years of hard work and dedication to LRA.
20 years ago, Alison Feldman Walsh, Riker Danzig’s Chief Human Resources Officer, and Francine Katz, a former Riker Danzig associate who is now Senior VP and General Counsel at the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, co-founded the “Walk to Cure Lupus.” They were an integral part of the grassroots effort to fund lupus research with Robert Wood Johnson IV, owner of the Jets and Johnson & Johnson heir. Together, they encouraged corporate support from large New Jersey pharmaceutical companies and contributions to federal grants to enable lupus research efforts.
Prior to the founding of LRA in 1999, few scientists were conducting research to find a cure for the disease or to find better treatment options. An autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissue, Lupus mimics other diseases and is therefore difficult to diagnose. It is the leading cause of death among women with autoimmune diseases who are in their childbearing years, and kills thousands of women, men, and children every year. Thanks to LRA, millions of dollars have been raised to fund cutting edge research which has contributed to the identification of at least 15 different disease pathways in lupus and has enabled the discovery, validation, or testing of more than a dozen different therapies for lupus.
The Walk will kick off at 9:00 AM at the 50-yard line, with several players from the New York Jets scheduled to participate in the event. There will be plenty of entertainment for walkers of all ages, including blow-up slides and moon bounces, a DJ, magicians, 3D photo booth, face painting, and refreshments.
Riker Danzig is proud to have served as a premier walk sponsor for the last 20 years.
Come join us! Click here to join the Riker Striders team! 100% of the proceeds from the Walk to Cure Lupus support research efforts.
“Click here for coverage of the event (subscription required).”
