The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation‘s Sixth Annual STANDOUT Awards banquet, held in North Carolina, recognized business men and women in the Charlotte community and raise money for the Foundation.

At the event, the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving lives through partnering with organizations that offer hope to millions around the world, provided a product donation for the banquet’s auction to raise money for cystic fibrosis.

According to a press release, the 20 honorees for the 2015 banquet were chosen from among 70 nominees, and more than 200 North Carolina residents met to congratulate their colleagues for their achievements. Though the event recognized deserving business men and women, leaders, and philanthropists in the Charlotte community, it also gathered people for a good cause. Money raised from the auction will help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in their many efforts.

The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to find a cure for cystic fibrosis and to provide everyone with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care. The foundation’s mission is fueled by a dedicated group of scientists, caregivers, donors, volunteers, and patients with cystic fibrosis, along with their families, who are united by a common goal: to find a cure for this devastating disease and help those with cystic fibrosis live longer, healthier lives.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease caused by the presence of mutations in both copies of the gene for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. In cystic fibrosis, the lungs and digestive system become clogged with a thick sticky mucus. People with cystic fibrosis live each day with uncomfortable complications like limited breathing, pneumonia, lung infections, coughing, and more. Cystic fibrosis affects at least 30,000 people in the United States, and between 900 and 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. One in 29 people of Caucasian ancestry is an unaffected carrier of the cystic fibrosis gene mutation. In the U.S., cystic fibrosis occurs at a rate of 1 in 3,400 births.

As the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation pursues its mission for a lifelong cure for the disease, fundraising events like the STANDOUT banquet and donations like those provided by doTERRA help to provide the necessary funds to promote research efforts.