TAMPA MAN JOINS
MDA NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2005 — Elio Navarro of Tampa, Fla., has accepted an invitation to join the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s National Task Force on Public Awareness for 2005.

Navarro, 24, joins 11 other members of the Task Force, an MDA voluntary body which advises the Association on issues of interest to people with disabilities. Task Force members, all of whom are adults affected by neuromuscular diseases in MDA’s program, are leaders in their communities and achievers in fields such as education, communication, law and business.

Navarro works as a software developer for the business and tax advisory company PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“MDA is honored to be represented by such an outstanding individual as Elio Navarro,” said MDA President & CEO Robert Ross. “He’s a shining example who shows that disability is no match for hard work and determination. MDA will benefit greatly from his experience and viewpoint on issues of interest to people with neuromuscular diseases.”
Navarro, who has been affected by spinal muscular atrophy since age 2, is involved with many aspects of MDA programs and other activities that enrich his community.

As an undergraduate at the University of South Florida, Navarro served as a leader of Inroads, a professional development organization for minority students. He’s tutored and mentored young people with disabilities, owns and manages several Internet-based businesses, and is an accomplished public speaker in both English and Spanish.

He completed work for his master’s degree in business administration at the university in 2003. He’s engaged to marry Jessica Rowen this spring.

Navarro recently helped found and is president of the Tampa Thunder, a power wheelchair soccer team, and serves on the National Power Soccer Committee, which helps govern the sport in the United States. He’s been joined by several other MDA clients in an effort to develop the sport in the Tampa community, and mentors team members under age 21.
SMA is a progressive motor neuron disorder that causes weakness in the arms, legs and torso. Navarro uses a power wheelchair for mobility, and drives a custom-fitted van to commute to and from work. He recently purchased his first home, which is custom-built to be wheelchair-accessible.

Among his MDA activities, Navarro was the subject of a videotaped profile on the 2003 and 2004 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethons, and was interviewed live on the 2003 national telecast. His interest in power soccer began when he attended MDA summer camp as a youngster.

MDA’s Task Force on Public Awareness was organized to promote MDA’s goals and programs, and to provide feedback relating to the needs of those the Association serves. The national group and its local counterparts advise the Association on matters such as medical care, insurance, independent living, personal assistance services and pertinent legislation.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.

The Association’s programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.

# # #