Jericho, NY - March 9, 2017 - Hundreds of diabetes avengers assembled to fight for a cure on March 5 during Kids' Carnival for a Cure and recognize the courage and true heroism it takes to live with diabetes every day. This year’s theme was “celebrating the superhero in me.”
The annual event, held at Dave & Buster’s in Westbury, raised more than $75,000 for the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and its mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Little superheros on stage at Kids' Carnival for a Cure 2017. Photo by DRI.
Children gleamed with excitement to meet Wonder Woman and Spiderman, got their faces painted, played the latest video games, bounced on inflatables, won some incredible prizes and enjoyed delicious food, all while filling the day with high energy, laughter and smiles.
“Thank you to everyone who made this an exciting and successful event, my wonderful co-chairs, Dara Melnick and Edra Tepper, our fantastic committee, and our generous participants,” said Co-Chair Iris Feldman, whose son has type 1 diabetes. “The energy of this group of people was evident in the fun-filled day that everyone experienced while raising a substantial amount of money to put towards our goal of finding a cure at the DRI for type 1 diabetes!”
Miss Nassau County International, Brittany Hines, who has type 1 diabetes, gave an impromptu, inspirational speech to attendees during the event’s short program when the co-chairs and young everyday superheroes were recognized.
Kids having a blast at the Kids Carnival for a Cure.
Additionally, the Kids’ Carnival for a Cure co-chairs and committee want to extend much gratitude to all the generous sponsors for making this year’s event so successful.
Bowling & Billiards Sponsors, Susan and Mitchell Rubinstein & Family and Roberta and Bruce Waller & Family; Power Card Sponsor, Debra and John Carrion; Typhoon Park Sponsors, CareConnect Insurance Company, Inc., Christina's Epicure, Jim and Gail Whelan, Frankie Lam and Jacqueline Yu, and Linda Leung; Family Fun Sponsors, The Beckman Family, Chief Ray Downey Family, Clubhouse Kids, Crestwood Country Day Camp and School, Amie and Louis Kreisberg, The Kudelka Family, The Tepper Family; Printing Sponsor, Connie, Kelly, Chi and Laura Lam & BiBi Eng; Media Sponsors, Anton Community Newspapers, LongIsland.com and 1010 WINS Radio; Photo Booth Sponsor, Ronda Maultasch; and Photography Sponsor, Joe Marzo Photography.
For more information on the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation contact via email, visit www.DiabetesResearch.org or call 516-822-1700.
About the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation
The mission of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now. The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to develop a biological cure by restoring natural insulin production and normalizing blood sugar levels without imposing other risks. Researchers have already shown that transplanted islet cells allow patients to live without the need for insulin therapy. Some study participants have maintained insulin independence for more than 10 years. The DRI is now building upon these promising outcomes by developing a DRI BioHub, a bioengineered “mini organ” that mimics the native pancreas. While various BioHub platforms are being tested in preclinical and clinical studies, the DRI is also developing strategies to eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs and reset the immune system to block autoimmunity. For more information, please visit DiabetesResearch.org, tweet @Diabetes_DRI or call 516-822-1700.