MANALAPAN – JAR of Hope, a Manalapan foundation that seeks to assist children with a very rare fatal disease, has signed the first retail shop in its new Round-Up program.
Round Up affords customers the chance to contribute whatever change they receive to charity, according to a press release.
At the Jan. 28 grand opening of a new Phone Repair Stop outlet in Manalapan, the co-owner of the company announced the store is joining the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
“This is a little-known disease that kills only boys,” said company president Dave Ferber, a Manalapan resident. “We take pride in being a civic-minded company and when I found out we have a little boy right here in our own community with this disease, for me, it became personal.”
JAR of Hope was founded by Jim and Karen Raffone of Manalapan in September 2013 after their then-4-year-old son James Anthony (“Jamesy”) was diagnosed with Duchenne. Jamesy has a mutation of it affecting only 120 boys in the United States. There is no cure and until one is found, these boys will be in wheelchairs by their early teens and in graves by their early 20’s, according to a press release.
“We are really honored that Phone Repair Stop wants to be the first participant,” Jim Raffone said. “For most people a Round-Up donation is just pocket change, but if enough people give, it can have an enormous effect on our ability to find a cure for these boys … and for our own son.”
Phone Repair Stop is at 356 Route 9 north, Manalapan. The location is an accessory/repair center for cell phones, tablets and laptops.
“Most people have never even heard of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,” Raffone says. “Heck, I never heard of it until my own son was diagnosed. This is a good way to tell people about this killer of boys and to help find a cure for it.”
Merchants interested in the Round-Up program can call 732-620-6868 for details.