Association Française contre les Myopathies

Address of Organization

1, rue de l'Internationale BP 59 91 002 Evry Cedex France www.afm-france.org

Introduction

The Association Française contre les Myopathies (AFM) was established in 1958 and is one of the most active of many organizations focused on supporting medical research to cure genetic diseases and on bettering the living conditions of people afflicted by diseases. AFM is a nonprofit association regulated by the French law of 1901.

Brief History

After having been founded in 1958 by a group of patients and their families, AFM was recognized as being of public utility by decree of March 26, 1976.

In December 1987, AFM launched the first French telethon fundraising campaign. The idea of the telethon was "imported" from the United States in 1986 by Pierre Birambeau, a French entrepreneur whose child was affected by myopathy. He was looking for sponsoring and resources and went therefore to New York to learn about the telethon