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Senator Tom Daschle and Linda Hall Daschle
Host Leadership Awards Benefit for the
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Honored and Special Guests: Senator Campbell, Senator Stevens, Congressman Young, and ABC's Sam Donaldson
June 18, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Donaldson
(202) 785-4585
Washington, D.C.—The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) will hold its annual Leadership Awards Benefit on Wednesday, June 18, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at 101 Constitution Avenue NW on Capitol Hill. Honorary Hosts Senator Tom Daschle and Linda Hall Daschle, and Benefit Chairs John Kasich, Terry Lierman, Richard D. McCormick and Ernie Stevens, Jr. will help honor the leaders in the fight to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the leading know cause of mental retardation and birth defects.
This year's honorees are Senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Ted Stevens, Representative Bill Young, Chairman Mark Brown of the Mohegan Tribe, Television Producer Dr. Neal Baer, and FAS Researcher Dr. Ann Streissguth. ABC's Sam Donaldson will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the awards program, beginning approximately 6:45 p.m.
Terry Lierman, Chair of the NOFAS Board of Directors and Managing Partner of Health Ventures, Former Congressman John Kasich, Richard D. McCormick, former Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce and US West, and Ernie Stevens, Jr. Chairman and national spokesman for the National Indian Gaming Association are the benefit chairs.
NOFAS is a nonprofit organization seeking to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)—the leading known cause of mental retardation—by raising awareness to the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. FAS is a set of physical, mental and neurobehavioral birth defects that are the direct result of alcohol use during pregnancy. As many as 12,000 infants are born each year with this irreversible yet completely preventable health condition, and three times as many infants have physical or functional effects as a result of prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol-related effects occur more frequently than Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis and spina bifida COMBINED.
Established in 1994, the NOFAS Leadership Award is presented annually to prominent Members of Congress, community leaders, and other outstanding individuals in recognition of their commitment and leadership in the fight to prevent alcohol-related birth defects. Senator Tom Daschle and Linda Hall Daschle have supported NOFAS since its founding in 1990 and annually attend the benefit as Honorary Hosts.
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