Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs Launches Platform “Curing Childhood Cancer”
Downs Named Official National Spokesperson for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation
Atlantic City, NJ – November 9, 2004 – Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs launched her platform – “Curing Childhood Cancer” – today from New York University’s Medical Center in New York City. As Miss America 2005 and the official national spokesperson for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, she will serve as an activist for children with cancer and their families, promoting awareness and advocating increased research funding.
Since 1989, Miss America has selected an issue about which she cares deeply and that is of relevance to our society. During her year of service, she uses her stature as Miss America to address community service organizations, business and civic leaders, the media and others about her platform.
An aspiring pediatrician, Downs selected childhood cancer research and funding as her platform while serving as Miss Alabama. As Miss America, she continues her advocacy, taking it to the national stage. Downs will travel coast to coast on her national speaking tour, focusing her message on the need for childhood cancer research and funding to find a cure.
“Though medical science has made tremendous progress in the fight against childhood cancer, we are years – if not generations – away from a cure,” said Downs. “Cancer is the number one disease killer of children and it strikes families of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
She continued, “My title as Miss America will open doors, my experience will help establish programs, and I trust that my passion will inspire others to join me as we forge new research tools for medical and academic communities, leading to more cancer-free children in the generations to come.”
“We are thrilled to have Miss Downs as our official national spokesperson,” said Paul T. Burke, President and CEO of CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. “Miss America is giving a voice to this important cause and shining a spotlight on the thousands of children and families touched by childhood cancer. We believe that we have a tremendous opportunity to make a significant impact on the childhood cancer community and we look forward to working together in the year ahead.”
“As an activist for finding a cure for childhood cancer, I am honored to be named the official national spokesperson for this prestigious foundation,” said Downs. “I believe that CureSearch serves as a tremendous resource for children and parents coping with the devastating diagnosis of cancer.”
For more information on Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs or the Miss America Organization, go to www.missamerica.org.
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The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.
www.CureSearch.org unites CureSearch’s two organizations - the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF) and the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the world’s largest and most prestigious childhood cancer research organizations. Together, the two entities support the life-saving research conducted at more than 200 member institutions, representing every pediatric cancer program and providing state-of-the-art medical care to more than 90% of children with cancer in North America.
Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator recognizes CureSearch NCCF with four out of four stars for fiscal management. Ninety-four percent of CureSearch NCCF’s total annual expenditures is dedicated to finding cures for children