Pace Football Coaching Staff to Participate in Coach to Cure MD at Saturday’s Game vs. Merrimack

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace Football Head Coach Chris Dapolito and his coaching staff will participate in the Coach to Cure MD by wearing sideline patches at this Saturday’s game against Merrimack College. Six Northeast-10 schools will also be participating in the event, including the Merrimack College coaching staff this weekend. American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) members will wear a Coach To Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines and college football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Football fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill). The rapidly growing annual effort has raised more than a million dollars to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Last year, more than 10,000 college coaches at a record 580 different institutions participated in Coach To Cure MD events. Both those figures are higher than in any of the program’s first five years (2008-12). Last season marked the first time all 124 Football Bowl Subdivision schools participated, and the five-year fundraising total is just over $1 million.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarily affects boys across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and limited therapeutic options exist.

About the AFCA
The American Football Coaches Association was founded in 1922 and is considered the primary professional association for football coaches at all levels of competition. The 10,000-member organization includes more than 90 percent of head coaches at the 700- plus schools that sponsor football at the college level. Members include coaches from Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and Mexico.

About PPMD
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1994 by parents of children with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. The organization’s mission is to end Duchenne. We accelerate research, raise our voices in Washington, demand optimal care for all young men and educate the global community. PPMD is headquartered in Middletown, Ohio with offices in Fort Lee, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.parentprojectmd.org.

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