38th Annual NF Michigan Summer Picnic

Sunday, July 28, 2024
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Rogue River Park

6300 Belshire Avenue NEBelmont, MI, 49306United States

THE THREE SISTERS NF PICNIC

NF Michigan is proud to introduce a new name for our annual picnic. We honor three sisters - Nancy Ward, Mary Ellen McIntyre and Jean Rackes. They joined the group in the very first year - 1985. The youngest, Jean, was born in 1948. Her older sisters passed away recently at ages 83 and 79. In the mid-80s all three women and their eight children contributed DNA to NF research at the University of Michigan Ten of the eleven were born with NF1. DNA from the one unaffected person proved to the Francis Collins Lab that the NF1 gene resides on chromosome 17, a massive breakthrough for NF researchers worldwide. In 2022 Jean made a generous donation to NF Michigan in honor of Mary Ellen’s love for the annual picnic. We knew then that it was time to let our community know about these three remarkable women.

Expect goody bags for the kiddos. Me ’n’ Mrs Jones Mobile Music, featuring emcee Bob Jones, will keep things humming.

View the full itinerary and check out the NF Michigan site here.