Chakiris for CHARGE Syndrome

Academy award winning actor George Chakiris (famous for his roles as Bernardo, leader of the "Sharks" gang, in the 1961 classic film, West Side Story), befriended Ysabel Cluver, a young individual with CHARGE syndrome, in 2013. CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic disease affecting between 9,000 and 10,000 births worldwide and is the leading genetic cause of deaf/blindness in the US. Together they have created the soon to be launched website, Chakiris for CHARGE Syndrome (www.chakirisforcharge.org). The site is intended to raise awareness about CHARGE syndrome, about their friendship and what they care about, and is a place where visitors can donate to the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation (www.chargesyndrome.org) to support research through direct donations or by purchasing products with the logo "I've got the Chakiris Chill." Funds given to this campaign will help us get to LA to launch the website, and provide the seed money to manufacture our products, maintain our website, pay for web support and a graphic designer. Any surplus proceeds will go to the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. Please help us get this off the ground!