Thirty Northwest Arkansas young professionals have joined forces to help raise money for the Arkansas chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for this year’s “Weekend with the Finest,” set for Sept. 9-10. The group is this year’s class of the Finest honorees and has spent the last several weeks competing to raise money for the nonprofit organization.
Diane Byram, senior development director, said the Finest honorees are 25 to 40 years old, display leadership, community service and career excellence. They are nominated by chapter board members, their peers, sponsors, past honorees and committee members. “Those chosen are among the most influential and successful young leaders in the Northwest Arkansas community,” Byram said.
Proceeds from the weekend will go to support the foundation’s work to fund research for medications to treat the genetic disease, improve the quality for life for those with cystic fibrosis and to find a cure. Byram said getting the right individualized treatments for those with the disease can be difficult because “There are 1,200 mutations of the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis.” However, the group has made great progress in finding treatments for what was known as an “infant disease, then a childhood disease, to now, when 50 percent of those with CF are adults. We won’t stop till all the mutations have been treated and there is a cure.”
Tarah McConnell, 29, a category advisor for 3M and previously a Kiss a Pig candidate for the American Diabetes Association, is one of this year’s Finest honorees. She said one of the things drawing her to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is its “focus on being repsponsible with the money they raise, keeping overhead costs low, so that it goes toward their research.”
Golf with the Finest
What: Golf, barbecue, beer, prizes When: 8 a.m. Sept. 9 Where: Springdale Country Club Registration: $1,200 per foursome
Walk with the Finest
What: Fashion show, food, wine, silent auction, presentation of honorees When: Sept. 10 Where: Fayetteville Town Center Tickets: $75 Information: nwafinest.eventscff.org
— CARIN SCHOPPMEYER [email protected]