St. John's United Church of Christ participates
Strollathon to benefit Sunman girl
Mary Margaret Moorhead - Staff Writer

St. John's United Church of Christ in Penn town will join with other participants from the tri-state area on Saturday, April 24, for the inaugural Rett Syndrome Research Foundation (RSRF) Tri-State Strollathon.

Motivation for members of St. John's United Church of Christ is 14-year-old Annie Craig of Sunman, a victim of the disease and a member of the church.

"We have watched Annie grow and live with the difficulties of Rett Syndrome, and we want to support events that might bring new research which could make a difference for Annie, as well as other children," said the Rev. Judy Doll, pastor of the church.

The 1.5-mile "strollathon" event will take place at Winton Woods Park at the Red Bird Roost shelter area in Cincinnati. Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. fast time, with the "strollathon" scheduled for 11:00 a.m. fast time. Honorary Spokesperson for the inaugural event will be Local 12 News Anchor Kit Andrews.

Founded in Cincinnati in late 1999, RSRF is the world's leading organization devoted to funding biomedical research for Rett Syndrome. To date the organization has funded 45 research projects totaling $4.5
million.

President of RSRF Gordon Rich announces the theme for the first-ever event to be "Reach for a Cure." Highlights include musical entertainment, face painting, three-minute massages, and a variety of other activities.

Annie Craig's mother Karen Craig is helping to coordinate the
event and may be contacted for additional information at; 812-623-4294.

According to information about Rett Syndrome, children appear to develop normally until six to 18 months of age, when they enter a period of regression, losing speech and motor skills. Most develop re
petitive hand movements, irregular breathing patterns, seizures and extreme motor skill problems.

At this time there is no cure, but prominent researchers in the United States and abroad are focusing efforts on finding a cure. They are confident that unraveling the mysteries of Rett Syndrome will not only increase understanding of normal brain development, but also will shed light on other neurological disorders - autism, schizophrenic, and bi-polar disease.

"Annie brings joy and a smile to our faith community," the Rev. Doll continued. "She loves coming to
church and seeing all her friends and family here."

Many church members are planning to walk in the "strollathon" or to sponsor a walker. Anyone interested in participating or in sponsoring a participant, should contact St. John's Church at 812-623-3410.