December 10, 2009, Pleasantville, N.Y. -- Refusing to let economic concerns stand in the way of a successful fund raising program, a group of devoted relatives, friends and businesses owners recently combined their motivation with new marketing techniques to promote a cause in memory of a young woman and her three-day old infant who lost their lives to Lupus in 2000.

            The result of the energized 2009 campaign was a 45% increase in money raised for Lupus research, according to Lina Kingston (Pleasantville), a digital marketing professional and co-chair of the Anna & Joseph Jr. DelPozzo Memorial Fund. The more than $43,000 in donations at a Nov. 13 dinner at C.V. Rich Mansion in White Plains, minus the cost of dinner, goes to the only research that studies the effects of Lupus on pregnant women and their unborn children. This research is spearheaded by Dr. Jane Salmon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

            Kingston, who is the sister of Anna DelPozzo, formed the memorial fund with her husband Kevin and her brother-in-law Joseph DelPozzo (Valhalla) and has since organized eight annual Lupus fundraiser benefits to generate awareness of the disease and support research.

            "This year's event was the most successful in the Fund�s history for several reasons," she says.  "First, we had enormous support from our 10-member board, as well as local businesses that provided generous contributions and/or in-kind services.  Second, we used several forms of digital marketing that drew in new donors, and third, we shifted the location of the benefit from Connecticut to White Plains to attract additional donors."

            "And finally, Gianni Russo, who played Carlo Rizzi in the classic movie, 'The Godfather,' generously agreed to entertain at the benefit. This added up to more people at the event, more enthusiasm for our commitment to Lupus research and more optimism about Dr. Salmon�s ability to meet her research goals."

            All the wines for the event were donated by Station Plaza Wine & Spirits in Bronxville, the boutique wine shop co-owned by Kevin Kingston. Other supporters of the benefit were WSP Flack & Kurtz Inc., Readers Digest Association Inc., The Berry Fund Charitable Foundation, APC, Liebert, Emerson Network Power, Perkins & Will, Magjak Graphics Communications Services and Minuteman Press. All costs for the annual event, except for the food charge, are paid by Lina and Kevin Kingston.

            According to the Kingstons, the importance of research into the causes, treatment, prevention and cure for Lupus is accentuated by the number of people diagnosed with the disease � about 1 out of every 185 Americans, of which roughly 90% are women of childbearing age. They note that Dr. Salmon, whose work is also being funded by the National Institutes of Health, has successfully gathered information from close to 500 pregnant patients and is optimistic the data will define predictors of pregnancy problems and targets for new therapies.

            Board members are Antonella Alaimo, Sharon Amalfitano, Rosanne Cuje, Fulvia DelPozzo, Mark DelPozzo, Theresa Gilberti, and Adriana Santelli, in addition to Joseph DelPozzo, Kevin and
Lina Kingston