Milka Duno Joins Pittsburgh “Muscle Team” for Charity Event
Duno Participates in Benefit for Muscular Dystrophy Association
Milka Duno was a champion amongst champions at the recent Pittsburgh “Muscle Team” event to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event, held at PNC Park – home of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team - on February 24, 2005, brought together athletes, celebrities and corporate sponsors in support of families living with a neuromuscular disease.
Each athlete and celebrity attending was teamed with an MDA “buddy”; Milka was paired with a local hero, Samantha Sheriff. Samantha is a 13 year-old living with the neuromuscular disease called Charcot Marie Tooth, which affects her lower legs and hands.
Throughout the evening corporate sponsors mixed, mingled and played with the athletes and their MDA Buddies at a variety of interactive games, while all in attendance could bid in several ways for many valuable services and collectible sports memorabilia.
The climax of the evening was the live auction whereby special packages of items donated by the athletes were auctioned – with the athlete appearing on-stage with the auctioneer during the time their package was up for live bidding.
Milka brought the crowd to their feet when she asked Samantha to join her on stage as her "Victory Package" was auctioned. Milka’s package included the seat insert, or "Winner's Seat" from Milka's Grand American Rolex Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in July, 2204; the #09 Spirit of Daytona Crawford 1/18 die cast of the car driven and autographed by Milka and driven by her at the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona race; a Crawford Race Cars DPO3 black t-shirt (from Milka’s racing team) autographed by Milka and her Rolex Series co-driver Andy Wallace; and a framed, autographed picture of Milka. The bidding was lively, with both Milka and Samantha encouraging the crowd. The package went to the highest bid of $950.00 – all of which will go to the MDA.
“I feel so lucky that I was invited to participate in this event – and
I hope there are many more to come,” beamed Milka. “You
simply can’t believe what a sweetheart Samantha was! She was
so sweet and so positive. Her father was with her and I invited them
to a race I have this year that is somewhat close to them and I really
hope they can come. The MDA is such a worthy cause and they are doing
so much good work – I’m praying for the day that they solve
this heartbreaking mystery.”
.
The event raised $87,000. The monies raised will go to help
families with neuromuscular diseases in Pittsburgh and surrounding
areas with items such
as camp for the kids, clinics, equipment and vital research that will
lead to finding cures.
Milka began her relationship with the MDA as a result of her association with the CITGO Petroleum Corporation and the CITGO Racing Team. CITGO is the largest national corporate sponsor of the MDA and has raised more than sixty-four million dollars for the charity during the course of their on-going partnership, which celebrates its 20th year in 2005
CITGO, based in Tulsa, Okla., is a refiner, transporter and marketer
of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes,
asphalt and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV
America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos
de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela. For more information on CITGO visit www.citgo.com.
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