WELLESLEY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EB Research Partnership (EBRP) announces the 6th annual Plunge For Elodie scheduled for March 25 - April, 2, 2023. The Plunge for Elodie has evolved from a small hometown fundraiser into a global movement, inviting participants to plunge into freezing waters to raise awareness and funds for the life-threatening rare genetic disorder Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). 2023 marks a groundbreaking year as the Plunge for Elodie is set to surpass $2M raised for EBRP.
The original Plunge for Elodie site of Wellesley, MA is now accompanied by satellite plunges across the globe: the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC; Queens, NY; Greenwich, CT; San Francisco, CA; Ireland; Toronto, ON and Vancouver, BC, Canada (hosted by Talk Shop Media); plus a robust Virtual Plunge campaign on social media. The cause has drawn thousands of participants and has even captured the eyes of Hollywood, with actress Jessica Biel taking a Virtual Plunge in 2018. Elodie also recently captured Hollywood’s heart as she shared the plunge story in her own words, alongside Kermit the Frog.
The Plunge for Elodie was created by 10 childhood friends of Elodie’s mom, EBRP Board Member Emily Kubik. Elodie was born in 2016 with a severe form of EB. She is one of 500,000 people around the world suffering from EB, and faces a life expectancy of just 30 years. Children with EB are called “Butterfly Children'' because their skin is as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. They face severe pain, open external and internal wounds, and a grueling daily bandaging process.
“None of us had ever heard of EB when Elodie was born, but as we learned more about the disease - and witnessed the challenges that EB families face - we felt compelled to act. We formed this event with the goal of making a splash for the cause. And we won’t stop making a splash until a cure is reached,” vows Kristan Khtikian, Plunge for Elodie Co-Chair.
The Plunge for Elodie will present the 2nd Annual Sophia’s Hope Award to philanthropists Steve and Joan Belkin (Trans National Group, Belkin Family Lookout Farm), whose dedication to this event has been unwavering. This award celebrates the memory of Sophia Grace Ramsey, a one-year-old who tragically lost her battle with EB in May 2020. Sophia’s family founded Sophia’s Hope to fundraise for EBRP. “We honor our beautiful daughter’s legacy as we raise money for the cause, with the great hope that others can have a life free from the unimaginable pain that our daughter faced,” states Sophia’s mom, Katie Ramsey.
There are currently no treatments or a cure for EB, but the Plunge for Elodie is helping to change that statistic. The movement shows first-hand the power of steadfast determination: “This hugely impactful event is making big waves for change,” states EBRP CEO Michael Hund. “We are more hopeful than ever that a much-needed cure is within reach.”
**Corporate Sponsors for the 2023 Plunge for Elodie include: Amryt Pharma; Dellbrook JKS; Belkin Family Lookout Farm; Sophia’s Hope; TransNational Group; Abeona Therapeutics; and UniBank. For a full list of Plunge for Elodie sponsors, visit the Plunge for Elodie website.
More information on how to donate and get involved can be found at www.plungeforelodie.org. Also follow @plungeforelodie on Instagram and Facebook.
About EB Research Partnership
Founded in 2010 by a dedicated group of parents and Jill and Ed Vedder (Pearl Jam), EB Research Partnership (EBRP) is the largest global nonprofit dedicated to funding research aimed at treating and ultimately curing Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a group of devastating and life-threatening skin disorders that affect children from birth.
Working around the clock with offices in the US and Australia, EBRP utilizes an innovative venture philanthropy business model. When making a grant to a research project, they retain the added upside of generating a recurring revenue stream if the therapy or product is commercially successful, then use the return on investment to fund additional EB research until a cure is found.
To learn more, visit www.ebresearch.org