Because the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy gene is found on the “X” chromosome, the disorder manifests primarily in boys.  It knows no boundaries.  It affects all races and all cultures.

DMD affects approximately 1 in 3,500 boys and each year, around 20,000 children worldwide are born with DMD.

Although many cases are genetically inherited, approximately 35% of all DMD cases are the result of a new random spontaneous genetic mutation that can occur during any pregnancy regardless of family history.

In 1986, the gene that causes Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy was successfully identified and isolated by medical researchers.

For more information, check out PPMD’s pages about Duchenne including:

• About Dystrophin and Utrophin
• Signs of Duchenne
• How to Prevent Duchenne
• Who Gets Duchenne
• What Causes Duchenne
• How Duchenne is Identified
• How Duchenne Progresses

Sam’s Day was started in 2005 by friends of Sam Killian. Sam is a 7 year old boy from Rockwall, TX that was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2005. Since 2005, Sam’s Day has raised over $250,000, all of which has gone directly to funding a cure for Duchenne. With your support, we are having an impact on this disease, and how it affects the 150,000 boys around the world with Duchenne MD.

Please visit our fundraising page: www.ParentProjectMD.org/Sam5

When: Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:00am til 2:00pm

Where: Flagpole Hill at White Rock Lake (Map) – Google Map

Activities: Bounce house, Rock Climbing Wall, Obstacle Course, Fast Pitch, Slide, Games2U Gaming Truck, Hamster Ball, Lazer Tag, Face painters, Magicians, Stilt Walkers, Train Rides, and a NASCAR legends racer

Sam’s Day entertainment provided by Games 2U!

Food: Chic-fil-a, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ALL the fixins, shaved ice and cotton candy.

Sam’s Day is Open to the Public!

Click HERE to start your own fundraising page for Sam’s Day!

Unable to attend the event but still want to help?

A few ways you can do that include:

• Sending an email about Sam’s Day 2010 – Halloween at NorthPark to all your friends inviting them to come to the event and also to donate.  Be sure to include a link to the Sam’s Day website (http://www.SamsDayTexas.org) and also to the Sam’s Day 2010 donation page (http://www.ParentProjectMD.org/2010SamDonate).
• Sign up as an ambassador at http://www.ParentProjectMD.org/Ambassador2010 and invite all your friends, family and coworkers you know to donate through your ambassador page.
• Ask local merchants, business owners, service providers, companies that you do business with if they would be willing to donate an item for the Sam’s Day Silent Auction to help raise money.  Be sure to take the Auction Donor Form with you so we know who to thank. 
• Ask any one with memorabilia or connects to a sports team, famous person, etc if they’d be willing to donate a signed item to be auctioned off.
• Contact your local newspaper, tv, radio, favorite blogs or other news outlet to see if they’d run a piece about Sam’s Day 2010.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Ambassador for Sam’s Family Fun Day and to help raise money for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.

Our goal this year is to have each Team Leader Ambassador raise $500 and recruit 5 to 10 other people to be on their team who commit to each raising $100.  The overall team goal is $1000.

If you’d like to sign up as a Team Leader, please fill out this contact form.

If you do not want to join a team , but still would like to sign up as an Ambassador (Non-Team Leader), go to www.ParentProjectMD.org/Ambassador2010 and follow the directions on that page.

Once you receive your login information, if you forget how to get back to your Participant Center, just go to http://www.SamsDayTexas.org/center.

Volunteers will be assigned a shift since this year’s sames day will go from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, October 30, 2010.  

If you’d like to be part of the fundraising efforts too, just let Jennifer know as well.

Even if volunteering doesn’t work for you this year, please do spread the word and come out with your friends and families to support the event and enjoy the day.  Feel free to pass out last year’s brochure and poster to others to let them know about the event.  We’ll posto this year’s 2010 brochure and poster as soon as they are available. 

We are looking forward to another great event and as always, we appreciate your help.

Donating to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is the answer.

To donate now, go to www.ParentProjectMD.org/2010SamDonate to help support Sam’s Day!  All donations benefit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy whose mission is to improve the treatment, quality of life and long-term outlook for all individuals affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy through research, advocacy, education and compassion. 

If you prefer to mail in a donation, feel free to print out and complete a donation form.  PPMD accepts Payment by Credit Card, from Bank Accounts or by Check.  Be sure to add in the addtional comments or instructions sections that this donation is for Sam’s Family Fun Day.  Then mail the form to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, 158 Linwood Plaza, Suite 220, Fort Lee, NJ 07024.

Thank you for your donation!

Alex’s Story

More stories can be found at PPMD’s website under Parent’s Stories.