Television Personality Willie Geist to Emcee 21st Annual Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson's Golf Invitational, June 17

Nearly 300 guests are expected to attend The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson’s Foundation’s 21st Annual Dystonia and Parkinson’s Golf Invitational, which will be held Monday, June 17th, at Century Golf Club in Purchase, NY. This year’s theme is 21 Years: Coming of Age and will feature Willie Geist, co-host of NBC’s Today and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, as the master of ceremonies. BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) is this year’s corporate chair. This year’s guest of honor is Bill Geist, father of Willie Geist, a correspondent with CBS since 1987 and currently host of the network’s Sunday Morning. Last July, he broke the news to his viewers about his being affected with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The most obvious symptoms of PD are movement-related; these include shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking and gait. Later, cognitive and behavioral problems may arise, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep, and emotional problems. Raising more than $1 million annually to help fund medical research in the fields of dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, the golf invitational is considered the Foundation’s premier fundraiser. Last year’s event raised $1.9 million, which funded scientific research as well as new Centers of Excellence. Most recently, research funded by The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation has resulted in the finding two new dystonia genes, which could lead to better targets for treatments and ultimately, a cure. Dystonia affects an estimated 500,000 men, women, and children in North America alone, striking more people than muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. Additional research funded by the Foundation has led to Addex Terapeutics (SIX:ADXN), a leading pharmaceutical company in Switzerland, recently announcing positive preclinical data for a drug in a rodent model of dystonia. The full-day, invitation-only event, beginning at 11 a.m., includes lunch, a Pro-Am golf tournament, cocktails, and will conclude with dinner and a live auction. The annual golf outing attracts a group of influential people such as the top CEOs of financial corporations to local socialites, and includes Thomas W. Strauss, chairman of Ramius, a Cowen Group company; Mark Standish, president and co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets Corp; and others. Auctioneer Jamie Niven, chairman of Sotheby’s America, will return this year to conclude the evening with an exceptional live auction, featuring such items as A Decadent Dinner for 12 prepared by celebrity chef David Burke, valued at $12,000; a golf outing hosted by a club member at the esteemed Shinnecock Golf Course, valued at $5,000, a week’s vacation at the Villa Avalon in St. Barths, valued at $9,000; and many others. For further information about The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation, visit the Foundation’s web site at www.dystonia-parkinson.org. For information about the 21st Annual Dystonia & Parkinson Golf Invitational, please contact Marissa Levey, at 212-682-9900. T The Bachmann-Strauss Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, 501© 3 organization that was established in 1995 by Louis Bachmann (1916-2000) and Bonnie Strauss in order to find better treatments and cures for the movement disorders dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, and to provide medical and patient information. Key among its efforts, the Foundation funds scientific and clinical research and helps raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease and dystonia among the general public and the medical community.