"Drink for a Cure" was founded on the idea that people in local communities could raise money for a worthy cause while having a really great time. In 2005, the Banke-Yario families hosted the very first "Drink for a Cure" event in Chicago Illinois. As the first event came to a close on that clear and crisp November evening in 2005, the organizers and the participants realized that this was no ordinary fundraiser. People were charged up by the concept of partying with their friends and families to raise money, and the momentum of the event began to grow. People came out of the woodwork to donate their time and money to the cause, and much was learned about hosting a great event.

Over the next four years, the Chicago-based chapter of the National Marfan Foundation (NMF) encouraged the Banke's and the Yario's to make "Drink for a Cure" an annual event, and supported their efforts with expert advice, access to resources, and a full commitment to the success of all future "Drink for a Cure" events. This support from the NMF, coupled with the numerous local people who showed up to help promote the expansion of the fundraiser, further emboldened the original "Drink for a Cure" organizers to broaden their reach, and in 2008 the Chicago "Drink for a Cure" Committee, 12 members strong, set out to expand the event to all NMF chapters worldwide.

It was at this time that the idea of a "Drink for a Cure" Portal Website came into the forefront. The idea and the mission of the website was simple:

Give future "Drink for a Cure" Event hosts the tools they need to do the job right, and to make it as easy and manageable as possible to host a "Drink for a Cure" Event.

This website is the realization of that dream, and it is available at no cost to any qualified supporter of the National Marfan Foundation. To be a qualified supporter, all you need to do is register on this website, host an event, and donate the proceeds to the National Marfan Foundation. Once you have established your own event page, your local NMF Chapter will contact you, and you will receive support, and resources to get the job done right. Many of the Chicago "Drink for a Cure" Committee members are also available to you for advice, resources and support.

In addition to the support of the Chicago "Drink for a Cure" Committee, and the National Marfan Foundation, this website provides a number of tools to assist you in hosting your event.

These tools included:

• Instructional guidelines for hosting a successful event
• Access to context experts who will help answer your event-related questions
• Your own unique "Drink for a Cure" Events Page, from which you can:
• Register your participants and capture their contact information
• Easily create and send e-mail correspondence to them
• Upload pictures from the event
• Provide participants access to the pictures as a benefit to attending

These tools have been developed with the "Drink for a Cure" Hosts and Participants in mind. There are a lot of valuable educational materials, lists of qualified vendors that will provide low-cost, high-impact services to your event, and detailed descriptions of various event-related options and ideas for raising money and having fun.

The educational resources will get you prepared to plan an event, the context experts will assist you in solving your event-related issues, and the web-based tools will enable you to promote the event in an easy and professional manner. If you are ready to take the next step, which is to plan an event, please see the Host an Event page on this website. It will give you all of the information you need to host your first event, and to make your future events easier and easier to manage.

The Banke and Yario Families thank you deeply for your interest in the National Marfan Foundation, and we hope that this website provides you with the tools and the access to resources you need to have a safe, exciting and successful "Drink for a Cure" event.

If you have any questions regarding this website, please direct them to steven.banke@gmail.com.