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The Lauren D. Beck Sickle Cell Foundation was established on September 2, 2004, by Anika Downs-Wilkerson and Tara Downs-Sanders. The loving memories of Lauren D. Beck, beloved daughter, grand-daughter, sister and niece, raised a concern for the need for awareness of Sickle Cell Disease in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding areas. As a result of our efforts, there was a public unveiling at the Stanton Center on October 9, 2004, in Annapolis, MD. That event marked the beginning of fundraisers, awarded scholarships, blood drives, marrow drives and sickle cell trait screenings, all to promote sickle cell awareness. The Foundation collaborates with other groups in the community such as the Annapolis Corvette Club, The AKA's of Annapolis, Delicados of Annapolis, Howard University Hospital, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, DC-Gaps, AAMC, The Pediatric Group, and Family Health Centers of Baltimore, all to help our mission and the cause. Anika Wilkerson was appointed in August, 2006 to the Hereditary and Congenital Disease Council for the State of Maryland, by former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and reappointed in July, 2008 by current Governor Martin O’Malley. Anika Wilkerson is also a member of the Statewide Steering Committee on Services for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.
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