PRESS RELEASE: Painters Association Works Together To Help Local Charity Help Critically Ill Newborns With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Dawn Williamson

dawn.m.williamson@gmail.com

919-610-0129

Painters Association Works Together To Help Local Charity Help Critically Ill Newborns With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

WAKE FOREST, NC (July 9, 2012) – On Tuesday, July 10th, members of the Painters Decorators and Contractors of America (PDCA) are donating their services to help Wake Forest based international charity, CHERUBS.

Socaz Painting, Langdon/McKenzie and Hansell painting are donating manpower to completely repaint the upstairs of 152 S. White Street in downtown Wake Forest.  Paint supplies are being donated by Sherwin Williams and Glidden professionals.  These companies have teamed up to help CHERUBS, a charity that helps families of babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. 

CHERUBS moved into its new office space in April but didn't have the funding or volunteers to paint the 6 room office space with a large reception area.  With just 1 full-time employee and 2 office volunteers, CHERUBS's staff already had it's hands full helping the over 4000 families that it serves with free support services, funding researching and raising awareness. Though the office was in need of a paint job to sublease offices to help cover rent, it wasn’t something that CHERUBS was able to do.

It was then that Torrance DeLeon stepped in to help.  Owner of Socaz Painting, DeLeon knew of CHERUBS through local business networking group, Triangle BNI.  Meeting with the president of CHERUBS in her office he saw a need and offered to help, bringing up the charity with the Triangle chapter of the PDCA and telling them about the cause that CHERUBS supports.  Fellow business owners Steve Langdon of Langdon/Mckenzie and Phillip Hansell of Hansell painting agreed to help.  They approached local paint suppliers of Sherwin Williams and Glidden, who also agreed to help the charity.

“We are so grateful to these amazing gentlemen for donating their time and talent to help our charity and to help revitalize downtown Wake Forest by painting this beautiful old building.  We could not have funded this expense ourselves without taking away much needed funding to help support families affected by CDH.” said Dawn Williamson, president and founder of CHERUBS. “By giving of themselves and their time, the Painters Decorators and Contractors of America, Sherwin Williams and Glidden are helping us to help these babies born with CDH.”

CDH is a birth defect of the diaphragm. It occurs when the diaphragm fails to form or to close totally and an opening allows abdominal organs into the chest cavity, inhibiting lung growth. CDH affects approximately one in every 2,500 babies, or about 1,600 babies in the United States each year. It is as common as cystic fibrosis and spina bifida. Roughly 50 percent of babies born with CDH do not survive. The cause is still unknown.

Drop by CHERUBS office on Tuesday, July 10th to learn more about the charity and meet the painting companies who supporting them.

Learn more about the PDCA at www.pdca.org.  If you would like to help spread the word about CDH, or to learn more about CHERUBS, please visit www.cdhsupport.org.

###