Press Release Summary: RESTON, VA: October 22, 2007 - Avian Health Network, Inc. (AHN) is announcing ticket sales for the 2008 Birds of a Feather Quilt Challenge to Stop PDD. The project is a cooperative effort of bird owners and the volunteer members of Avian Health Network, Inc. Quilting Birds Committee to raise awareness of the lethal avian disease, Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD).
Press Release Body: RESTON, VA: October 22, 2007 - Avian Health Network, Inc. (AHN) is announcing ticket sales for the 2008 Birds of a Feather Quilt Challenge to Stop PDD. The project is a cooperative effort of bird owners and the volunteer members of Avian Health Network, Inc. Quilting Birds Committee to raise awareness of the lethal avian disease, Proventricular Dilation Disease (PDD). PDD is a deadly wasting syndrome that afflicts wild and domesticated birds and parrots worldwide. The symptoms of PDD are varied, its routes are unknown, and its outcome is fatal. Due to the wasting nature of PDD, it is often referred to by laymen as "the avian AIDS." However, unlike AIDS, scientists do not know exactly how PDD is transmitted, nor can they test for the disease with any degree of certainty. Consequently, there is a sense of urgency to determine the cause of PDD and its means of transmission. The quilt is the brainchild of the Avian Health Network, Inc., a non-profit organization that raises funds for PDD research with its Stop PDD campaign. The Quilting Birds Committee is open to everyone and is made up of individuals from across North America that have flocked together to create original, one-of-a-kind squares for the quilt. Although all the squares share the common subject of birds, the designs are compellingly different. The squares can be seen at http://www.stoppdd.org. The brilliant, jewel colors of the squares glow with the sense of hope that is sewn into every stitch-hope that the making of this quilt will help stop the spread of PDD and help to keep the research funded. "This quilt is not only a symbol of hope for avian health in the future, it is also a remembrance of all the birds that have been lost to PDD," says Valerie Schuster, President of AHN. "Each bird lost is one bird too many, and this quilt represents what is needed to fight this awful disease-people joining together to ensure the well-being of all our birds." To raise funds for PDD research, the beautiful Birds of a Feather Quilt will be awarded as the prize of a drawing to be held in the fall of 2008 and hosted by Castle Enterprises. Tickets for the 2008 Quilt Challenge drawing will go on sale at the first showing of the 2008 Birds of a Feather Quilt on 27 October 2007 at the Pet Bird Extravaganza and 2nd Birdie Bingo event (which was developed last year by Castle Enterprises to help raise funds for the Stop PDD campaign). This avian event-filled day will be held at the York Expo Center and Fair Grounds located at the Horticulture Building, 344 Carlisle Avenue, York, PA 17404, hosted by Castle Enterprises. For more information, visit the StopPDD website (www.StopPDD.org). Tickets will also be available from the www.StopPDD.org website. 2008 Birds of a Feather Quilt Challenge Chairperson and AHN Vice President, Becky McKirahan has arranged for the quilt to be sent to Mary Hettmansperger after the Pet Bird Extravaganza event to be completed by hand quilting. Ms. McKirahan announced that the quilt will be completed by the end of 2007 and will be ready to be displayed. Ms. McKirahan goes on to state "we are thrilled to be able to offer a hand-quilted quilt. Mary is our quilter and has been sewing about 35 yrs and quilting about 10 years. She is a grandmother of 11 and a great grandma of 1. She loves quilting and, last year alone, quilted 17 quilts for her family. We are so excited to have Mary taking this on and we know it will be beautiful when it is complete. We promise to keep you all posted on production and pictures at the www.StopPDD.org website." Proceeds from the drawing will help subsidize the PDD research of the Emerging Diseases Research Group, College of Veterinary Medicine, and University of Georgia. Please bookmark and visit the StopPDD.org website often for updates and tickets in the coming year. The Avian Health Network, Inc. #54-2068091 is a 501(C) (3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The organization is staffed entirely by volunteers, employing no paid personnel. The Avian Health Network is committed to raising public awareness and funds for avian diseases such as PDD. For more information on the StopPDD campaigns, please visit the website, www.StopPDD.org.
Web Site: http://www.StopPDD.org
Contact Details: Avian Health Network, Inc. for StopPDD 1448 Yellowwood Court Reston VA 20190 Contact Person: Becky McKirahan Phone: 301.498.3543
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