Help Santa Barbara Take Great Strides in the Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive, genetic, multi-organ disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. It affects 40,000 children and adults living in the United States — that’s the bad news. But the good news is that the work being done to eradicate this terrible disease has come a long way in helping people lead long, fulfilling lives. 

On Saturday, November 11, from 9 a.m. to noon at Chase Palm Park, the Santa Barbara community will come together for “Santa Barbara Great Strides,” a fundraising walk and special event to assist in the fight against cystic fibrosis and support the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event will include a 5K walk as well as music, a short ceremony of speakers, and a silent auction. The walk will begin around 10 a.m. 

[Click to enlarge] Santa Barbara Great Strides, which raises funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, takes place this year on November 11 at Chase Palm Park | Credit: Courtesy

“When the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was first founded [in 1989], children with CF typically did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, we celebrate the achievements in CF that fundraising events like this have led us to make great strides in the disease,” said James Goodson, area director of the Southern California Chapter.

“Today, the median survival age of people born with CF is now into the sixties, and many are achieving milestones like attending college, getting married, and having kids — goals that used to seem impossible,” said Dr. Richard Belkin, Medical Director of the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Cystic Fibrosis Program. “This is due in large part to the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the amazing CF community,” said Belkin, who is the event chair for Santa Barbara Great Strides.

“The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation helped discover the gene that causes CF, created a state-of-the-art model for CF care, and has funded groundbreaking research aimed at correcting the root cause of CF, the abnormal CF protein. But we’re not done. We are working every day to build on this incredible momentum, and we won’t stop until there is a cure for every person with CF,” Belkin said.

Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s largest fundraising event and has helped raise millions of dollars to support research, drug development, and care of people with cystic fibrosis. More than 250 walks around the country each year bring together family, friends, students, and colleagues to make a difference in pursuit of a cure for cystic fibrosis. In 2022, the Foundation funded $265 million in research and care for people with the disease. Money raised at Santa Barbara Great Strides and at hundreds of events nationwide support the CF Foundation’s mission to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives by funding research and drug development, partnering with the CF community, and advancing high-quality, specialized care. 

“We are making incredible progress due to the Southern California community. We invite people in the Santa Barbara community to join us in our mission and acknowledgment of the importance of the community to drive us toward a cure,” said Goodson. 

To attend or donate to Santa Barbara Great Strides, register online at on.cff.org/40r0bsc or call the Southern California Chapter at (323) 939-0758. For more information about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visit cff.org.