Customer Magnetism To Participate In Local Food Allergy Walk

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, September 18, 2010 (Press-News.org) Customer Magnetism, a Virginia Beach search engine marketing company, will be sponsoring a team and participating in the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward a Cure on Saturday, September 18th. The purpose of the annual walk is to raise funds and awareness about the potentially life-threatening food allergies that affect 12 million people in the United States.

"This is a cause that we want to support, especially because there are people in the Customer Magnetism family that are affected by life-threatening food allergies every day," said Jeremy Sherman, vice president of search marketing at Customer Magnetism. "People need to be more food conscious about what ingredients they use, whether they are sharing a meal or are eating around other people."

One of the employees in the search engine optimization company's link building department is Art Steele. Allergic to many foods since birth, he must be very careful about what he eats. The long list of foods to avoid includes peanuts, chocolate, eggs, watermelon, seafood and shellfish. Due to the fact that a lot of foods are made with peanut oil and almond extract, things that he cannot eat, the Customer Magnetism staff works together to limit his exposure at the office.

"We try to make sure there is something he can eat at office gatherings, and certain items are stocked in the company vending machines so he can have 'safe' snacks," said Sherman. "Even so, we know what to do in case he has an allergic reaction. We're prepared."

Customer Magnetism is also a sponsor at Local Marketing Expo on September 29th at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The conference coordinator, Nicole Newsome, has had close ties to Customer Magnetism for several years. Her seven-year-old son, Vance, was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies at the age of one. They will also be participating in the Food Allergy Walk.

The second-grader wears a medical alert bracelet. He knows what he cannot eat and what to do if something happens. He also knows what the common food allergy symptoms are: hives, facial and hand swelling, runny eyes and nose, vomiting, throat swell and anaphylactic shock and loss of consciousness.

The two-mile Food Allergy Walk will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, featuring music and entertainment, "safe" snacks and costumed characters. Proceeds from the event will benefit FAAN, and will go towards research and community grants to help with education and awareness programs. For more information about the event, visit http://www.foodallergywalk.org.

About Customer Magnetism: Customer Magnetism (http://www.customermagnetism.com) consistently ranks as one of the top ten search engine optimization firms in the country; Top SEO Firms by Website Magazine, Top Ten Optimization Companies by Visibility Magazine, Top SEO Company by Promotion World, and is the winner of the Organic Optimization category by Top SEOs. Customer Magnetism, located in scenic Virginia Beach, Virginia, specializes in organic search engine advertising and offers strategic link building and full service pay-per-click management.