On Aug. 12, JAR of Hope Foundation will attempt to set a world record for the most people doing push-ups. The attempt will be made following a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game in Coney Island, N.Y.
JAR of Hope is searching for a cure for a very rare, fatal childhood disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, according to a press release. The foundation was started by Jim and Karen Raffone of Manalapan in 2013 after their son, James Anthony, now 7, was diagnosed with Duchenne.
JAR of Hope nearly set a new push-up mark in August 2015, briefly breaking the record of 615 people (and raising $12,000), until some younger children were disqualified for not doing full push-ups. A new record has since been set by Intel Corporation, with 1,286 participants, according to the press release.
“Children with Duchenne will never be able to do push-ups,” Jim Raffone said. “So we are doing push-ups for them … in the hope that these children won’t have to die.”
The Cyclones’ game at MCU Park, 1904 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, against the West Virginia Black Bears is set for 7 p.m. The push-up event will follow the game – with Cyclones players participating – followed by fireworks. Registration details are available at www.jarofhope.org