April 6, 2018 – Ashley King, Executive Director, MDA of Maine:  As the Executive Director of Maine for 6 years, raising money locally to fund a research grant to the caliber of which you have and are executing brings a whole new level of pride that I can’t wait to share with our families, sponsors, and MDA Team. It was a surreal experience of having a Q&A, hearing the work Cat has done with SMA, Robert has done with CMT, and Greg’s “deviant” defining at The Jackson Laboratory.  We are very lucky to have the 3 of you in our corner, fighting against the rare, terrible diseases that the MDA has exposed us to…as are other families and Organizations across the world that you all try to help.

Seeing the investment of our money in the lab yesterday allowed for a whole new appreciation for our staff and the people of CN Brown Company. It is always hard for some to understand the concept of our contribution to research due to the tangibility of our other services that we offer families; clinic visits, DME equipment and Summer Camp to name a few. Yesterday was monumental and I look forward to our next meeting in the Spring/early Summer when our Senior VP, Jeanne Zucker from Cambridge, MA can attend.

I have included Jeanne in along with our Executive Team at MDA. Bill our Regional Director and Karen our Executive VP and Chief Philanthropy Officer. All have formally or currently reside in the Northeast, they would be very proud of the prestige and advancements that I learned of yesterday about The Jackson Laboratory in Maine. The work you all do it truly remarkable, Thank You!