Barbara Walters to Headline SBA's 17th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida

Barbara Walters to Headline SBA's 17th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida

Oct. 5 Event to Draw Corporate, Political, Media Attendees; Porsche Raffle, Silent Auction

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- ABC News veteran Barbara Walters will headline the 17th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida on Oct. 5 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Turning the tables on one of America's most respected journalists, political leaders will now put Walters in the hot seat as she's grilled for Spina Bifida-the most common, permanently disabling birth defect in the U.S. affecting 70,000 men, women, adolescents and children.

"It's not only an honor to help deliver the important message of preventing Spina Bifida, but to join my colleagues in one night that can change lives," said Walters, who joins former roastees Bernard Shaw, Don Hewitt, Tom Brokaw, Tony Kornheiser, Dan Rather, Don Imus, William Safire, Andrea Mitchell, Lesley Stahl, Jim Lehrer, Larry King, Tim Russert, Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee, Pat Buchanan, Sam Donaldson and Bob Novak.

The Annual Roast was founded in 1989 by Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt whose son, Jeffrey, has Spina Bifida, a neural tube defect (NTD) that occurs in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn't close completely. Emcee Mark Shields will lead the Washington tradition, with attendees including political, media and Fortune 500 company leaders.

MileOne Tischer Porsche of Silver Spring, Md., a long-term partner of the Spina Bifida Association (SBA), will provide $10,000 toward a 2006 Porsche Boxster raffle. An accompanying silent auction will include items such as week-long travel ventures. Roast partner Clear Channel Worldwide, Rockville, Md., will air public service announcements.

Tickets for the 17th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida may be purchased through the SBA office at (800) 621-3141 or (202) 944-3285 or e-mail: SBAARoast@aol.com. For more details, contact Mary Corcoran Knoll at (888) 837-8777.

About Spina Bifida

Approximately 60 million women of childbearing age are potentially at risk for having a pregnancy affected by Spina Bifida, which occurs in seven out of every 10,000 live births in the U.S. and affects each person differently. Up to 90 percent of children with the worst form of Spina Bifida have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), and must undergo surgery to install a permanent "shunt" that helps drain the fluid.

Women of childbearing age can reduce their risk of having a child with Spina Bifida by taking 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day since half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned.

About SBA

Founded in 1973, the Spina Bifida Association (SBA) is the only national voluntary health agency working exclusively for people with Spina Bifida and their families through research, advocacy, education and service. Telephone: 202-944-3285 / 800-621-3141. Web site: http://www.sbaa.org/.

Source: Spina Bifida Association

CONTACT: Lorelei Harloe, +1-703-362-2774, lh@lhprmc.com, for the Spina Bifida Association

Web site: http://www.sbaa.org/

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