Fourth Annual Awards Gala May 9, 2007

Fourth Annual Awards Gala May 9, 2007

Jennifer Hudson Thrills Audience at 4th Annual Lupus Foundation of America Awards Gala

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner served as Master Of Ceremonies for Event to Bring National Attention and Resources for Lupus

LFA Announced $3.5 Million in Contributions for Lupus Research and Education Programs

WASHINGTON, May 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 2006 Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress, Jennifer Hudson, used her four-octave range to give a breath-taking performance for 550 guests attending the Fourth Annual Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) Awards Gala on May 9 in Washington, DC. Marjorie S. Susman, Chair of the LFA Board of Directors, announced that this and preceding Galas have raised more than $3.5 million to support lupus research and education programs.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-a )
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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-c )
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-d )

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner was the Master of Ceremonies for the Gala which honored U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, (D-IL); the Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Foundation; Lisa Price, founder and CEO of Carol's Daughter Cosmetics; and H. Thomas Watkins, President & CEO of Human Genome Sciences, for their efforts to bring national attention and resources to lupus, a devastating and life-threatening disease affecting 1.5 million Americans and five million people worldwide.

Dr. Gary Gilkeson, Chair of the LFA Medical-Scientific Advisory Council, unveiled a portrait of the late Dr. Philip Whitcome, a distinguished molecular biologists and highly successful businessman, who bequeathed $2.5 million to the LFA in memory of his wife, Carla, who passed away from complications of lupus. Dr. Whitcome's mother, Margaret, participated in the unveiling.

Among the guests were Lauren Nelson, Miss America 2007; Shilah Phillips, Miss Texas 2006 and First Runner-up for the Miss America 2007 pageant; Dr. Sheila Johnson, President and Managing Partner of the WNBA's Washington Mystics; and LFA spokespersons Tomiko Fraser Hines, actress, Maybelline spokesperson and International Ford Agency model; Mercedes Yvette, 2004 Runner-up, America's Next Top Model, and Kelly Jean Drury, actress and model who appeared on General Hospital. Actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith accepted their award through a videotaped presentation.

Congressman and Mrs. John Dingell (D-MI), and Senator Richard Shelby (R- AL) and Dr. Annette Shelby were the 2007 Honorary Chairs. Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT), Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL) and Leslie Meek, Esq. were the Honorary Co-Chairs.

Lupus is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissue, causing disabling pain and damage to organs.

The Lupus Foundation of America is the nation's leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to finding the causes and cure for lupus.

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Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-b
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http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070509/DCW111-d
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Source: Lupus Foundation of America

CONTACT: Duane Peters, VP Communications of Lupus Foundation of America,
+1-202-349-1145, peters@lupus.org

Web site:

http://www.lupus.org/

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