MAYOR BARNES PROCLAIMS TODAY "EDDIE KENNISON FIND A CURE FOR LUPUS" DAY

Oct 17, 2005, 3:02:19 PM

The day following a victory is always a special one throughout the NFL. However, yesterday’s 28-21 victory over the Washington Redskins wasn’t the only reason that Chiefs WR Eddie Kennison had a little extra pep in his step this morning. That’s because today, October 17th, 2005, has been officially recognized by Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Kay Barnes as “Eddie Kennison Find a Cure for Lupus” day. The honor will be formally unveiled during this evening’s charitable celebrity fashion show, “Showtime! Changing Lives in Style.” That event will feature not only Kennison himself and his wife, Shamika, but numerous members of the Chiefs family.

“This is a very special honor,” Kennison noted this morning. “I was pretty humbled to find out that the mayor herself saw enough value in what we are trying to do through our foundation to make this proclamation.”

This year’s “Showtime!” event will again support the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) via “Quick Start – The Eddie Kennison Foundation.” Chaired by New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV, ALR is a national voluntary health organization. The mission of the ALR is to support research into the cause, cure, treatment and prevention of systemic lupus erythematosus and its complications. Since 2000, ALR has given more money to lupus research than any non-governmental agency in the world with $27 million having already been committed. Areas of research emphasis include: susceptibility, pathogenesis, inflammation and tissue damage, clinical assessment and therapy.

The Kennison’s formed “Quick Start” in 2003 to make a difference both in the Kansas City area and Eddie’s hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The organization’s mission is two-fold, raising awareness and research dollars for the autoimmune disease lupus, as well as giving back to the community through its scholarship program. A cause hitting close to home, Shimika has been diagnosed as one of the 1.5 million Americans afflicted with lupus.

-THE CHIEFS WAY-