Once again we have concluded a very busy season in Florida and now we embark on an equally eventful summer.
I am very proud to inform you that I have been appointed by President Bush to serve on the President’s Committee on People with Intellectual Disabilities, which was created by President Kennedy as the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation. Inside this newsletter is a reprint of an article from the Palm Beach Daily News, or “Shiny Sheet” as the locals call it, and a copy of the press release announcing my appointment. The article is about my sincere desire to advocate for the intellectually disabled and to bring Fragile X to the attention of the
advocacy community. I have begun to network with agencies and advocacy groups within the state of Florida and will broaden those efforts as time goes by. I will be happy to hear from any of you about your thoughts and ideas on this subject.

In January, CFXF Director Sheila Engelstein hosted a fundraising cocktail party at her home in Palm Beach. The event was chaired by another CFXF Director, Rosalee Davison. These wonderful friends worked diligently to make this first of its kind CFXF fundraiser a
terrific success. We are grateful for their hard work and for helping us launch a new series of this type of event.

In the coming year, CFXF will be the beneficiary of events in Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia and London. We have added the services of a new Outreach and Special Event Coordinator. Patti Neal will be working with us to serve as a resource for anyone who wishes to host this type of event. Patti’s role will be to coordinate your event; everything from the invitation to catering will be arranged. If anyone is interested in hosting an event in your home or at your club, please contact Patti at patti@cfxf.org. She has lots of ideas for format and theme. See how you can help and
have fun with your friends, too.

As many of you who live in South Florida may know, after years of negotiation, The Scripps Research Institute has found a home in Palm Beach County, at the Jupiter Campus of Florida Atlantic University. CFXF and Scripps
have reached an agreement by which Scripps Florida
will embark on fragile X research in the lab of Dr. Claes Wahlestedt. Dr. Wahlestedt, who joined us at the January event, will be working closely with our Scientific Advisory Board to develop meaningful
research projects. The addition of Dr.Wahlestedt and his colleagues to the fragile X community is so important to helping us find a cure and we count on your continued support to make this happen.

Once again, a sincere thanks to each of you for all
your help!