From the moment Congresswoman Louise Slaughter told the crowd, “I feel like I knew Peggy,” to when the last raffle winner was called, The Peggy Lillis Foundation’s 4th Annual FIGHT C. DIFF Gala was a colossal success. We wanted to share some highlights from the evening for those who couldn’t join us.

In total, we raised over $50,000 to combat Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections through education and advocacy—making it our most financially successful fundraiser to date! We also provided important information on the C. diff epidemic and how people can take an active role in helping us raise awareness.

The C. diff epidemic requires an “all hands on deck” approach as it continues to grow and evolve. For that reason, the strong moral and financial support of corporate and union sponsors, leading physician-scientists like Dr. Martin Blaser of NYU School of Medicine, our honoree Congresswoman Slaughter, and, of course, you, demonstrates that we are truly building a movement to raise C. diff awareness.

But most of all, we were glad to have nearly 200 people with us as we unveiled our new 3-year strategic plan: “Educate Globally. Advocate Locally.” This plan will guide us in building a C. diff Awareness movement, focusing on:

•  Educating a nationwide audience about the prevalence, risk factors, symptoms, and available treatments for C. diff infections
• Empower those harmed by C. diff to advocate for themselves and others.
• Develop and pass legislation at the local and state levels and advise federal efforts to increase the availability of transparent C. diff data.
• Build the capacity of our organization to fulfill its mission by moving to paid staff, strengthening our partnerships, and growing our funding base.

With our new plan and your steadfast support, we are confident that PLMF will be a powerful legacy for our mother that prevents other families from losing a loved one to this devastating but preventable infection.

Thanks so much for helping us to build a national movement to raise C. diff awareness. We hope you can join us next year.

Best wishes for a beautiful holiday season!