The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is pleased to announce that the CPF’s second annual National IPF Awareness Week will be held from September 26 – October 1, 2004. To kick off the week, the CPF is hosting its inaugural B.I.G.(Breathing is Glorious!) Race on Sunday, September 26 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to help advance the CPF’s awareness, education, research and advocacy efforts on behalf of those fighting IPF. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, one of the leading centers in the world for the treatment and research of interstitial lung disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

By donating as little as $10.00 you can help us reach our goal! Currently, 97 cents of each $1.00 contributed to the CPF goes directly to fund the CPF’s existing programs and services. For more information on the CPF’s “Breathing is Glorious!” fundraising event please visit www.breathingisglorious.com. To contribute to the CPF, please click here.

• Call or write members of Congress. The CPF is working to advance important legislation currently in Congress that will benefit IPF patients and their families, and several CPF representatives will be visiting Capital Hill during Awareness Week to meet with key Congressional leaders to garner support for these bills while raising awareness of IPF. For more information current legislation, or to contact your representatives in Washington as well as other key policymakers, please visit our Web site’s campaign ACT section at: www.coalitionforpf.org/CampaignACT
  
• IPF Week State Proclamations. Submit a request to your state’s governor to proclaim Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 “IPF Awareness Week.” Click here to view a sample request letter!
  
• Reach out to your local media. An important role you, the patient, can play is to speak publicly about your life with IPF. This is a great opportunity to educate others about IPF and the critical need for education and research. The CPF has created an Informational CD Tool Kit, which houses key information about IPF that is easy for the media to use, including quick IPF facts, new patient data from our Basic Research Questionnaire, patient profiles and IPF images and video. For a copy of the CD-Rom, please contact Jill Favilla at 952-346-6103 or email jfavilla@webershandwick.com.
  
• Bring information to your next local support group meeting about National IPF Awareness Week and the ACT campaign.