Smithtown, NY (PRWEB) June 11, 2014
Two-hundred girls and families from more than 30 states, Canada and England will be in attendance as Curvy Girls Scoliosis Support holds its second biannual Convention on June 29th- July 1st at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge, NY. Founded in 2006 by then-13-year-old Smithtown, NY resident Leah Stoltz, Curvy Girls has successfully engaged hundreds of young girls and families in mutual support and advocacy activities through the experience of scoliosis.
“I never want anyone to feel the way I did—alone and scared-- so I am committed to empowering curvy girls around the world to know they are not alone,” says Leah, whose commitment to Curvy Girls goes beyond her own scoliosis, which was corrected with surgery six years ago.
Scoliosis is the lateral bending and twisting of the spine that, when progressed, causes body deformities and compromises internal organs. It affects seven million people in the U.S. with diagnosis most commonly occurring in pre-adolescence. The disease shows progression ten times more frequently in girls than boys. Curvy Girls groups provide peer-to-peer and family-to-family support and information.
Now 21 and graduating from American University with a degree in business and marketing, Leah helped her group to go global after she was featured on the first TeenNick HALO Awards – Helping And Leading Others – in 2009. Hosted by entertainer Nick Cannon, the show engages celebrities to honor teens who give back to their community while overcoming hardship. Leah was honored by singer/actor Justin Timberlake.
Curvy Girls is appreciative to their major Sponsor EOS Imaging for making it possible for girls from around the world to be able to attend. Additional sponsors include Scoliosis Research Society, Long Island Spine Specialists, Bay Orthopedics, FOCOS (Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine), Hanger Orthotics, and Transgenomic. The Convention will afford Curvy Girls the opportunity to celebrate the leadership and accomplishments of girls around the world, while providing girls and families with emerging information and the necessary skills to meet the distinct physical, social, and psychological challenges of this disease.
