One of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's active volunteers to carry Olympic Torch in Calgary

Jan 19 2010

Coca-Cola's Liz Burns to Run in Honor of People With Cystic Fibrosis

One of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's most active volunteers will carry the Olympic Torch today in Calgary as it makes its way to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Liz Burns, incoming board president for the Foundation's Georgia Chapter, has helped raise more than $600,000 for CF research, care and education programs. She is a senior national sales executive for Coca-Cola North America.

"Liz is a passionate and devoted volunteer, and we are thrilled she will carry the Olympic Torch in honor of people with cystic fibrosis and raise more awareness about this devastating disease," said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. "We thank Coca-Cola for selecting Liz for this honor and supporting her mission — and ours — to find a cure and change the lives of every person with cystic fibrosis."

Cystic fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease that causes life-threatening lung infections and premature death, and affects about 70,000 people worldwide.

Burns is scheduled to carry the torch at 4:42 p.m. M.T. today, and is one of 20 U.S. Torchbearers selected by Coca-Cola for their commitment to create meaningful and enduring change in local and global communities. The Olympic Torch Relay lasts for 106 days, covers more than 27,000 miles and links more than 1,000 communities in Canada. The Olympics begin Feb. 12, 2010.

Burns was named "Volunteer of the Year" by the Foundation's Georgia Chapter in 2008. She chairs one of the Foundation's largest fundraising events, called Chocolate, an annual gala held in Atlanta.

The Foundation has fueled dramatic improvements in research and care that have significantly changed the prognosis for people with CF. The predicted median age of survival for people with CF has increased to more than 37 years — more than double what it was 25 years ago.