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*Actress Raven-Symone, star of the Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven,” will appear at the15th Annual San Diego Annual Heritage Day Festival and Parade tomorrow (Feb. 25) hoping to encourage more blacks and African Americans to become bone marrow donors.
Event organizers have selected five-year old Kayla Smith, a patient desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant, as the 2006 parade Grand Marshall. Immediately following the parade, the San Diego Blood Bank Stem Cell Donor Center, in partnership with the Emilio Nares Foundation, will hold a drive in Kayla's honor. The drive will be held at Market Creek Plaza (92113, Market & Euclid just south of the Trolley Station).
"Kayla's a fighter," says Raven. "She and her family have been searching for a donor for a long time yet it hasn't crushed her spirit. She's a bright, bubbly little girl who is filled with hopes and dreams, and I'm happy to work with her and her family to spread the word about her need so that she gets the chance to make her dreams come true."
Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program, said, "While there have been millions of potential donors who have registered, there remains a critical need for Black and African-American donors. Black and African- American patients have a greater chance of finding a donor from within the Black and African-American community. It is amazing that the city of San Diego and event organizers have chosen Kayla as this year's Grand Marshal, publicizing the need for more donors while honoring the courage she and her family displays as they wait for a donor to provide a life saving transplant. And with Raven-Symone's help, we may be able to find a donor for Kayla that much sooner."
The Heritage Festival, located at Market Creek Plaza, starts at the conclusion of the parade where, there will be celebrity meet and greet areas, an entertainment grand stage, delicious food, A KIDS zone, Health Zone, and Career Zone for the community.
For more information about The Heritage Day Festival and Parade, visit: http://www.heritagedayparade.org . For more information about the NMDP, call 1-800-MARROW-2 or visit online at http://www.marrow.org.