Hepatitis B Foundation Breaks Fundraising Record at 20th Anniversary Crystal Ball

DOYLESTOWN, PA, June 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) On May 13, 2011, the Hepatitis B Foundation hosted its 20th Anniversary Crystal Ball fundraiser at PineCrest Country Club in Lansdale, Pa. With the highest attendance to-date, nearly 260 leaders from the community, academia, corporations, government, and biotech gathered to support the Foundation. The benefit raised $95,000 to advance the Foundation's mission of eliminating hepatitis B worldwide.

When addressing the Crystal Ball attendees, Foundation Board Chairman Joel Rosen, Esq. honored the memory of Nobel Laureate and Hepatitis B Foundation Co-founder and Distinguished Scholar, Dr. Baruch Blumberg. "His discovery of the hepatitis B virus and invention of the first vaccine against hepatitis B, which resulted in the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1976, have been among the most important in the history of science and medicine," said Rosen.

Dr. Timothy Block, President and Co-founder of the Foundation, also commented on the loss of his dear friend Dr. Blumberg and thanked all of the Foundation's supporters and partners for helping the Foundation with its global mission to eliminate hepatitis B.

"Over the last 20 years, we have touched millions of lives and are a beacon of hope around the world for all those affected by this serious liver disease," said Dr. Block. "If we go as far in the next 20 years as we've gone in the past 20, the Hepatitis B Foundation will be using its resources to work on something else because we plan to eradicate the hepatitis B virus in our lifetime."

During the celebration, the Foundation honored KYW Newsradio 1060 Suburban Bureau Chief, longtime supporter of the Foundation and Crystal Ball emcee, Brad Segall, with its inaugural Community Commitment Award.

"The Hepatitis B Foundation's Community Commitment Award was established specifically with Brad Segall in mind and it was such an honor to publicly recognize him," said Foundation Executive Director and Co-founder Joan Block. "Brad is a consummate professional and is dedicated to making our community a better place. He is so deserving of this award and the Foundation is privileged to have such a wonderful community advocate by our side."

The evening also included silent and live auctions with big ticket items such as a trip to Walt Disney World; ticket packages to Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees games; and entertainment packages to The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, among others. Segall, along with Crystal Ball committee member Sean Galt, closed the live auction portion of the evening by announcing the winner of a $5,000, Citrin Cooperman donated raffle - a six- day/night Costa Rica vacation at the exclusive Arenas del Mar Resort.

Univest National Bank served as the Crystal Ball premier sponsor along with media sponsors Bucks County Herald and KYW Newsradio. Allure West Studios, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Drexel University College of Medicine, Furia Rubel Communications, Inc., High Swartz Law Firm, Kru Research, Merck, Naked Chocolate Cafe and TD Post & Animation were other major sponsors and donors.

More about Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection and the major cause of liver cancer worldwide. Each year, one million people die prematurely from hepatitis B-related liver disease and liver cancer. In the U.S., it is estimated that up to 2 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B - that is one in 20 Americans. Hepatitis B is caused by a virus that attacks liver cells and can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Like AIDS, the hepatitis B virus is transmitted through infected blood. However, the hepatitis B virus is 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus. The good news is that hepatitis B is preventable and treatable, but for the 400 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infections, there is still no complete cure.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation, celebrating its 20th anniversary as the global authority dedicated to eliminating hepatitis B, is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected with hepatitis B worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. It is headquartered in the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, which it created to accelerate its research mission. To learn more, visit http://www.hepb.org or call (215) 489-4900.