Tuesday, February 19, 2013 —
A six-year-old girl who goes through more in a day than most of us could handle in a year is the inspiration for her family in Charlotte to raise money to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. That’s why Chris and Sally Ware, the new owners of Papa Murphy’s of Charlotte, are celebrating their grand opening on Saturday, March 2, by hosting a “Fueling the Fun and Adding Tomorrows” event that will raise money to help create more birthdays for not only their child, but other local children and families living with this disease.
“Our young daughter, Vivian, has cystic fibrosis and this disease has changed all of our lives. This community has given my family so much support since Vivian’s diagnosis that we really want to give back as part of our grand opening celebration,”says Sally Ware, owner of the new Papa Murphy’s of Charlotte. “Vivian is a vibrant six-year-old who has taken this disease in stride. In honor of her, we started “Team Vivi” as part of the CFF’s annual Great Strides Walk. The money we raise goes toward research in hopes of one day finding a cure, and allowing all of our children with this disease the chance to celebrate more birthdays and create more memories.”
In honor of Vivian, the Wares are raising money by hosting a “Fueling the Fun and Adding Tomorrows” event at Ballantyne Elementary on Saturday, March 2 (details below). With every lap each child completes, the Wares will donate $1 to Team Vivi to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
They will also donate 15% of their sales at their new Papa Murphy’s store (located at 16015 Lancaster Highway, Suite C, in Charlotte), from March 2 through March 9, in Vivian’s name to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“We hope this event inspires those in our community to help us raise money for a cure by joining Team Vivi and/or taking part in one of our many pizza races around the track,” says Ware.
“My daughter has already inspired us to be better advocates for her and other children with this disease. It’s now our turn to inspire the community.”
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening, genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, such as the lungs and pancreas. This can make it very difficult for someone with CF to breathe. This mucus also causes bacteria or germs to get stuck in the airways which can lead to infections and lung damage.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. To have this disease, a person must inherit two copies of the defective CF gene - one copy from each parent.
Most people are diagnosed with CF at birth through newborn screening, or before the age of 2.
Those with CF can’t be closer than 3-5 feet from each other because they carry a bacteria that only affects them, which can lead to illnesses. When proper precautions are taken, they can still take part in events together.
Roughly 30,000 children and adults in the United States have cystic fibrosis.
Currently, there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. In 2009, the median predicted age of survival was in the mid-30s.
90 cents of every $1 raised for the CFF goes to fund research for a cure.
Papa Murphy's is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country and a revolutionary of the take 'n' bake pizza segment. Papa Murphy's operates over 1,300 franchised and corporate-owned locations in 37 states and Canada. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company offers custom-made pizzas featuring high-quality, fresh toppings generously layered on pizza dough that is made fresh each morning in each store. By baking Papa Murphy’s pizzas at home, customers get to experience the home-baked aroma of a convenient, delicious meal that the brand is known for. In addition to handmade pizzas, the company offers other take 'n' bake items such as Cheesy Bread, Cinnamon Wheels, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Papa Murphy’s was voted “#1 Rated Pizza Chain” by participants in Zagat Survey’s 2010 & 2011 Fast Food Surveys and is a four-time recipient of Pizza Today’s Chain of the Year award.
About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation:
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more cystic fibrosis research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, go to www.cff.org.
