Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Milwaukee Oyster Roast celebrates 10 years of raising funds to fight blood cancer

CONTACT:

Sara Drapp, Campaign Coordinator

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

P 262-785-4244

E sara.drapp@lls.org

Milwaukee, Wis. – April 17, 2013 – The Milwaukee Oyster Roast is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its biggest party to date. The Roast returns to The Garage at the Harley-Davidson Museum®, 500 W Canal Street, Milwaukee, Wis. on Saturday, April 20, 2013 to raise funds to fight blood cancer. Oyster Roast starts at 6:00 p.m. and runs until Midnight.

A number of local companies are teaming up with LLS to sponsor the Milwaukee Oyster Roast including Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., Ziegler and Ziolkowski Patent Solutions Group, SC.

This one-of-a-kind event takes the traditional oyster roast and tweaks it Miwlwaukee-style (we add beer and morotcycles). The evening features all-you-can-eat, steamed South Carolina oysters alongside a mix of creole and low-country comfort foods. Attendees can also enjoy raw oysters served up by Maxie’s Southern Comfort and food and beverage samples from local vendors, live music, silent auction, raffle and more. Dress is casual. Local Milwaukee band, Jackie Brown & The Boys and musician Evan Christian will set the tone for the evening.

“The Milwaukee Oyster Roast is a fun way to pay tribute to lives touched by blood cancer and raise significant funds,” said Ann Marie Frakes, Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director. “We are grateful to all of our participants for supporting our lifesaving programs. The funds raised help LLS support leading-edge research and provide much-needed patient services. All proceeds from the oyster roast support patient aid, educational programs and life-saving research to find a cure for blood cancer.”

In 2012, the Milwaukee Oyster Roast raised more than $85,000 and this year the event has a $100,000 goal. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Wisconsin Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at 262-785-4273 or visit milwaukeeoysterroast.org .

Joe Wilson, attorney at Quarles & Brady LLP and Oyster Roast committee member, volunteers his time to assist in coordinating the Roast to help build awareness about the approximately 1,012,533 people in the United States living with a blood cancer. Wilson has a personal connection to the mission of LLS as he is an acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) survivor.

Wilson developed APL as a result of chemotherapy treatment for an earlier cancer. After a month of in-patient treatment followed by 100 daily doses of arsenic, his disease was driven into remission, and he has been cancer-free since. “My experience with APL shows that even for blood cancers for which we have effective treatments, the road to a cure is long. LLS provides support to patients at every turn, from educational resources to financial assistance. And, for those blood cancers for which no reliable treatment exists, LLS is working hard with doctors and researchers to develop more effective treatments,” said Wilson.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

The Wisconsin Chapter of LLS is located at 200 S Executive Drive, Suite 200, Brookfield, WI 53045. Ann Marie Frakes, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chapter can be reached at 262-785-4225 or annmarie.frakes@lls.org.