WASHINGTON (Aug. 15, 2016) – The Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease Stomp Out Sickle Cell 5K Walk is Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. The event is seeking walk participants and sponsors. This yearly SOS Walk on the National Mall shines a bright light on sickle cell disease by fostering greater awareness in the Washington, DC community.

Online registration is open and interested participants are encouraged to sign up individually or form teams to walk. Participants in the walk typically include individuals coping with sickle cell disease, their families, medical professionals, caregivers and other supporters.

The SOS 5K Walk is proudly hosted by Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease and Faces of Our Children, Inc. The Center for Sickle Cell Disease is committed to a six-fold goal that includes providing comprehensive medical care to those with sickle cell disease, promoting and conducting research, and offering testing, education, genetic counseling, and outreach to the metropolitan community.

Faces of Our Children is dedicated to raising awareness, support and funding for the fight against sickle cell disease worldwide through educational programs and materials via mass media and at work sites and schools.

Over the past decade, the Center for Sickle Cell Disease has also improved visibility in the community through free sickle cell trait screenings and genetic counseling to countless individuals and couples. The Sickle Cell Center has also expanded its Adult Transition Program to support adolescents and young adults, ages 13 – 28 years of age. Screenings for the sickle cell trait are held each Wednesday at Howard University Hospital. For more information, call 202-865-8292.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that causes anemia, pain crisis, organ damage and death, affecting millions of people worldwide. The District of Columbia has the highest incidence rate of babies born with sickle cell disease and trait compared to the 50 states. There is no known universal cure for sickle cell disease, and there is great disparity among available resources to help patients and families affected by sickle cell disease compared to other childhood diseases.

For more information contact Angela Mason at: 202-865-8292 via email info@soswalk.org

For media inquiries, contact Sholnn Freeman, Howard University media relations, 202-865-3518 or sholnn.freeman@howard.edu