Led by the Children’s Tumor Foundation in the U.S.,
over 300 architectural icons and national landmarks around the world
will glow blue and green to bring attention to rare genetic disorder that has no cure
May 17, 2019 – The Children’s Tumor Foundation is thrilled to announce that in recognition of NF Awareness Month architectural icons around the world will show their support in the global fight against neurofibromatosis (NF) by lighting up in blue and green, the official colors of the NF cause. NF is a genetic disorder that affects 2.5 million people of all populations and causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. It can lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. There is no cure yet, but this campaign serves to raise awareness and funding for scientific research into neurofibromatosis.
Internationally recognized landmarks that will Shine a Light on NF include Niagara Falls, which straddles Niagara, NY, and Ontario, Canada, and the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. In addition to the United States and Italy, more than 300 buildings, bridges, monuments, landmarks, and public spaces will light up blue and green in Austria, Canada, Greece, England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Wales. The full list is available at www.ctf.org/shinealight.
Launched by the Children’s Tumor Foundation in 2014 to increase public knowledge of this rare disease, the Shine a Light on NF campaign has grown substantially over the years. The Children’s Tumor Foundation partners with NF organizations around the world to expand awareness globally; these organizations include Nerve Tumours UK (United Kingdom); Childhood Tumour Trust (England); NF Kinder (Austria); Tumour Foundation of British Columbia (British Columbia, Canada); Neurofibromatosis Society of Ontario (Ontario, Canada); ANFQ L’Association de la neurofibromatose du Québec (Quebec, Canada); NF Patients United; NF Greece (Greece); Associacão Portuguesa de Neurofibromatose (Portugal); Asociacion Catalana de les Neurofibromatosis (Spain); LINFA Onlus, ANF, and ANANAS (Italy); Dan and Jennifer Gilbert, Gilbert Family Foundation, and NF Forward (Detroit, MI); CureNFwithJack (Atlanta, GA); and Springworks (Stamford, CT).
Additionally, thousands of homes around the world are expected to ‘Shine a Light on NF’ by changing the lightbulbs on their porches and entryways to blue and green to bring awareness on a community level. All this activity can be followed on social media by use of the hashtag #EndNF and the handle @childrenstumor.
“We are truly inspired by the NF community coming together to bring NF out from the shadows and literally into the spotlight through the Shine a Light campaign,” said Simon Vukelj, Chief Marketing Officer of the Children’s Tumor Foundation. “We are grateful for all our partners – both public and private, corporate and nonprofit – who have joined this effort. And we promise all the NF patients and families who are raising awareness in their own way in their hometowns today that we won’t stop this campaign until we end NF.”
Shine a Light on NF is just one part of a month-long awareness campaign that is comprised of online activities and community events designed to educate the public about this under-recognized disease that affects 1 in 3,000 births.
In addition to its “#EndNF” and “I Know a Fighter” initiatives, this year the Children’s Tumor Foundation is also leading a movement to “Wear Blue & Green on May Seventeen.” By encouraging everyone to wear blue and green on World NF Awareness Day, the NF movement will be even more accessible beyond those who are affected. It’s a chance for patients, their families, and supporters to unite their voices and proclaim that NF is a serious condition that deserves everyone’s attention.
Twenty-one states have issued proclamations declaring May as NF Awareness Month or May 17 as NF Awareness Day: Arkansas, Delaware, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. A list of the 28 cities that have also issued proclamations can be found online at http://www.ctf.org/get-involved/proclamations.
A calendar of local Shine a Light NF Walks, NF Endurance events, and local community fundraisers taking place all across the country to raise money to fund NF research and recognize the positive spirit and resolve of local NF Heroes and their families can be found online at ctf.org/calendar.
Official merchandise with “I Know a Fighter,” “Born a Fighter,” End NF imagery, and blue and green items are available for purchase online at www.ctf.org/store. All purchases support the efforts of the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is committed to finding effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis. In addition to benefiting those who live with NF, this research is shedding new light on several forms of cancer, brain tumors, bone abnormalities, and learning disabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader community.
Partners can join the growing Shine a Light on NF campaign by visiting ctf.org/shinealight or contacting the Children’s Tumor Foundation at media@ctf.org.
For more information on the Children’s Tumor Foundation, as well as all the NF Awareness Month campaign initiatives, please visit www.ctf.org/nfawareness.
About Children’s Tumor Foundation
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a term for three distinct disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. NF causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and may lead to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning disabilities, disabling pain, and cancer. NF affects 1 in every 3,000 births across all populations equally. There is no cure yet – but the Children’s Tumor Foundation mission of driving research, expanding knowledge, and advancing care for the NF community fosters our vision of one day ending NF. For more information, please visit www.ctf.org.
