National Spina Bifida Awareness Month

October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, a time to educate the public and further understanding about Spina Bifida while celebrating the lives of the more than 166,000 Americans affected. This year the Spina Bifida Association (SBA) brings to light the successes of those who live each day with this birth defect through two national promotional efforts: a Facebook photo contest and a radio media tour highlighting SBA’s Walk-N-Roll® events.

Through “Celebrate SB,” a Facebook photo contest designed to acknowledge and showcase the accomplishments of our community, people around the country submitted photos telling their story through a symbolic photo or favorite frame. These pictures highlight how our community celebrates their lives — going to school, working, raising a family, spending time with friends — every day while taking on a multitude of challenges that Spina Bifida can cause.

Voting for the photo contest is underway until October 31 so cast yours today - vote here. The winner will be announced on November 2, 2011 at 10 am Eastern. The winning photo will be posted on SBA’s Facebook and Twitter pages as well as in Insights Into Spina Bifida, our national magazine.

National Radio Media Tour
SBA launched a Radio Media Tour on October 10 in various parts of the country. In 11 interviews, SBA Board Members Megan Sorensen and Ana Ximenes educated listeners on Spina Bifida, from what it is to who is most at risk. They told the story behind the Walk-N-Roll® for Spina Bifida, as well as the many ways that the program can help to raise awareness. From walking in an event to volunteering behind the scenes to even being a “virtual walker,” they detailed a variety of ways for listeners to get involved in the fight against this oftentimes challenging condition.

If you are interested in participating in a Walk-N-Roll event, visit www.walknrollforsb.org.