National Osteoporosis Foundation Hosted Silhouette Ball, Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Raising awareness of osteoporosis - - a disease that will affect one in two women and one in four men aged 50 and older in the United States -- was the focus of the National Osteoporosis Foundation's (NOF) 10^thgala on Tuesday, May 24, 2005. All of the honorees that were recognized are strong advocates for osteoporosis awareness and include:

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall (who accepted via video message)

With the presentation of the NOF Ethel LeFrak Award, NOF recognized Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall for her significant commitment to advancing awareness and understanding of osteoporosis. In her role as President of the National Osteoporosis Society in the United Kingdom, The Duchess dedicates time to opening bone health units and visiting with patients and their caregivers across the United Kingdom.

 In her video message, she said, “I suspect few of you know a great deal about osteoporosis, I certainly didn’t until my grandmother and mother both died as a result of this devastating disease…Do you realize that in the United States more than 10 million women and men, over 50, have it? My aim is to make more people worldwide aware of these horrific statistics – therefore preventing thousands from suffering the pain and ignominy of osteoporosis in the future.”

Ms. Joan Rivers

Businesswoman, author, comedienne, actress, playwright, mother and grandmother, Joan Rivers is always in motion and knows the importance of strong bone health in living the life you want to live. The Foundation recognized Joan Rivers, an NOF Ambassador, with its Innovation Award.

CBS Cares

NOF recognized CBS Cares with the Paul G. Rogers Leadership Award in honor of its landmark effort in reaching and educating millions of Americans about osteoporosis through its strong public service initiative that includes primetime placement of public service announcements and an accompanying informative and comprehensive Web site, www.cbscares.tv. Matthew Margo, Senior Vice President for Program Practices, oversees the CBS Cares initiative and accepted the award on behalf of CBS.

Ms. Janet Hubert

Janet Hubert, a screen, stage and television actress, is a champion for bone health and osteoporosis. She regularly speaks to audiences, including minority audiences about health, including bone health. NOF recognized Janet Hubert with its Champion Award.

About NOF: Established in 1984, NOF is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Our mission is to prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure. NOF’s Silhouette Ball will help the Foundation fulfill its mission.

About Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis literally means “porous bones.” It is a disease in which bones become more fragile and likely to break, even from a slight strain or fall. Osteoporosis is often called the ‘silent disease’ because there are no symptoms until a bone breaks. Fractures related to osteoporosis cost the nation approximately $18 billion a year.

NOF estimates 44 million men and women over the age of 50 are at risk for or have osteoporosis. As noted in the recently published US Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, that number is expected to rise to more than 61 million by the year 2020, unless action is taken now. One is every two women and one in every four men age 50 and older will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

Award Information

Ethel LeFrak Award

This award is named for Mrs. Ethel LeFrak who is known nationally and internationally for her cultural and philanthropic leadership. Mrs. LeFrak, who also has osteoporosis, is dedicated to raising awareness. For serving as a champion and for raising awareness, Mrs. LeFrak was honored by NOF last year and the Foundation is proud to now present an award in her name.

Paul G. Rogers Leadership Award

The award is named after NOF’s Founding Chair, the Honorable Paul G. Rogers, to recognize leadership in addressing osteoporosis. The award was first presented in 2004 to Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, MD. A former U.S. Congressman, Mr. Roger’s efforts as NOF chair have helped to stimulate an estimated $160 million in state and federal grants for osteoporosis research and education. Mr. Rogers continues to serve as a distinguished member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

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NOF has recognized a number of people at the Silhouette Ball, including philanthropists, policymakers, government leaders, authors and actors. Previous honorees include:

• Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., US Surgeon General
• The Honorable Ann Richards
• Ethel LeFrak
• The Honorable Paul G. Rogers (NOF Founding Chairman)
• Richard U. Levine, M.D.
• The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson
• Jill Eikenberry
• Michael Tucker