Ask any resident of Bay Area Houston and they will tell you there is something very special about the people who live, work, and play in this area. This is no more evident in the display of compassion, collaboration, and commitment from the employees of SPACEHAB, a leading provider of commercial space services, to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to a Cure.

For several years, the annual fundraising event was held at the University of Houston-Clear Lake allowing area businesses and individuals to conveniently participate. This year, the walk was moved to Reliant Park and merged with the Houston walk. “Frankly, from a community outreach perspective, we were concerned that we would not see the level of participation and fundraising from our employees that we had seen in the past due to the less accessible venue,” says Kimberly Campbell, SPACEHAB Vice President of Marketing and Communications, who oversees the Company's philanthropic initiatives. “Not only did we see employees step up to the plate, but we also exceeded our wildest fundraising expectations and collected nearly $11,000, approximately forty percent higher than last year’s campaign.”

Realizing the drive to Reliant Park could have been a deterrent for employees, SPACEHAB created incentives for workers to participate, including holding its own Wellness Walk at NASA’s Gilruth Nature Trail which would earn employees discounts on medical insurance, as well as conducting contests for the highest fundraiser and best dressed to reflect the 70’s theme JDRF adopted for this year’s campaign. “While this certainly encouraged people to participate, the real commitment came from those determined to make a difference in the children’s lives impacted by this disease - many of whom are members of our employee’s families. We are pleased to make such a great financial contribution to find a cure,” added Campbell.

The fundraising effort was not SPACEHAB’s alone. Lori Jones, a SPACEHAB employee and mother of a child with Juvenile Diabetes, expanded the reach to area businesses, including Sterling Chemicals in Texas City. “I was emailing everybody I knew trying to raise awareness for this very important cause,” said Jones. “When Sterling Chemicals asked me how much I needed to reach my goal, they did not hesitate to make a substantial corporate donation of $2,500.”

About SPACEHAB, Incorporated

SPACEHAB, Incorporated (www.spacehab.com) is a leading provider of commercial and government space services with three primary business units. The Flight Services business unit develops, owns, and operates habitat and laboratory modules and cargo carriers aboard NASA’s Space Shuttles for Space Station resupply and research purposes. SPACEHAB's Astrotech subsidiary provides payload processing support services for both commercial and government customers at company-owned facilities in Florida and California. The Company’s Government Services business unit supports NASA’s Johnson Space Center providing configuration management, product engineering, and support services for both the Space Station and Space Shuttle programs.

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