JAR of Hope, which raises funds to find a cure for a very rare childhood disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, is holding its second annual gala on Oct. 7 at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe.
The theme of the event is “Across the Universe For A Cure.”
“Why that theme?” asked Jim Raffone, the founder of JAR of Hope. “Because that is how far we will go to find a cure, and because my 7-year-old son, Jamesy, is one of the children with this little-known, but always fatal disease.”
Attendees will experience an evening of fun and entertainment to help fund research into this disease with no cure, according to a press release.
The gala will feature prizes, live and silent auctions, and entertainers including The Sugarhill Gang. The keynote speaker will be Dr. David Dornfeld, a Middletown physician who has been treating Jamesy Raffone.
Dornfeld has been treating Jamesy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy by having him sleep in an oxygen chamber every other night. This feeds more oxygen into the youngster’s body and after only a few months, Jamesy’s motor skills have improved by 60 percent, according to the press release.
Honorees will be Howard Klein, president of Lanmark360, a nationally recognized healthcare marketing firm, and Joe Panarella, president of Bella International Textile.
The gala will start at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event at Forsgate are available at www.jarofhope.org