DART TO HOST VIRTUAL CHARITY WALK - Westfair Communications

From left: Phil, Julia, Andrea, Andrew and Phil Marella with Connecticut State Representative Stephen Meskers. Photo courtesy of Sonya Szostak.

The third annual Dart to the Finish charity walk to benefit Dana”™s Angels Research Trust (DART) is scheduled virtually for Sept. 26 through Oct. 3 because of Covid-19.
DART is a Greenwich-based nonprofit that funds research for the rare childhood disease, Niemann-Pick type C (NPC), which is often referred to as “childhood Alzheimer”™s.” Participants can complete a two-mile walk anywhere they want ”“ in their neighborhood, at the beach, in a park or on a treadmill. Registration (which is a tax-deductible donation to DART) is $25 for adults and $10 for children ages 10 to 21 years of age. Registered walkers receive a DART to the Finish T-shirt and are eligible for restaurant gift certificate rewards when they get other friends and family members to sign up. To learn more and register, visit danasangels.org or runsignup.com/Race/CT/Greenwich/DARTToTheFinish.
Dana”™s Angels Research Trust was founded by Andrea and Phil Marella of Greenwich after two of their four children, Dana and Andrew, were diagnosed with NPC, which is so rare that only about 200 children are diagnosed in the U.S. This disorder robs a child of the ability to live a long, healthy life, often becoming fatal in the teenage years.
As a nonprofit organization, DART raises funds to support pivotal NPC research ”” research that may also help millions suffering from Parkinson”™s disease, HIV/Aids, Ebola, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer”™s disease and other disorders that appear to be related to cholesterol. To date, DART has raised almost $5 million that has gone toward the search for a better treatment and ultimately a cure for NPC.