PHOENIX, Arizona – The Southwest Section of the PGA of America has taken another step towards helping children with serious health concerns by making a recent donation of $3,000 to JDRF – the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The SWSPGA Foundation presented the Juvenile Diabetes Reseacrh Foundation Chapter of AZ with a check for $3000.00 which will be used to hopefully one day find a cure for Diabetes. In the picture is Sheila Peterson PGA - Vito Berlingeri Marketing Director, Laura Rivers Dr. Special Events-Marketing, Becky Jackson ED/CEO and office personnel from the JDRF
JDRF is recognized as the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. Its Desert Southwest Chapter, which is based in Phoenix and has branch offices in Tucson and Albuquerque, N.M., annually raises more than $6 million to benefit diabetes research. The SWSPGA now can add its name to the list of donors.
“JDRF is so appreciative of the PGA’s contribution and support of our organization,” said Becky Jackson, executive director of the Desert Southwest Chapter. “The commitment of community partners such as the Southwest Section PGA will help us on our continued mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.”
The Chapter annually stages several events that benefit research, including charity golf tournaments. One of those, the Fifth Annual Tee Up to Cure Diabetes tournament, will be played June 4 at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson. There also are five charity walks scheduled this year, including those in Glendale, Tempe, and Tucson.
A new event, the Michael Allen Celebrity Pro-Am, hosted by PGA and Champions Tour pro Michael Allen, will be played Oct. 18 at Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club in Cave Creek.
Type 1 diabetes is a serious illness that often requires treatment far beyond daily insulin injections. It can lead to eye disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. A significant part of JDRF’s research is focused on understanding how diabetes causes complications, and developing drugs, treatments, and therapies to stop that process or reverse the impact of various complications.
Spokesperson Katie Stringham said type 1 diabetes, which often is hereditary and is more common in children, is sometimes misunderstood and confused with type 2 diabetes, which can be the result of weight gain and sedentary lifestyle.
“There is a lot of confusion about the two types and that can be a little frustrating sometimes,” Stringham said. “Type 2 has gotten a lot of attention lately because it has become an epidemic. We’re dealing with kids who inherited the problem. This didn’t happen to them because of diet or lifestyle. We struggle with the general public in that regard, and we do have an education and outreach program that is important in getting our message out there.”
JDRF’s stated mission is: To find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Much of its staff is voluntary and it depends largely on donations like those from the SWSPGA.
For more information about JDRF, effects of diabetes, and fund-raising activities, visit www.jdrfdsw.org or call (602) 224-1800.
Noteworthy: For the second consecutive year, the Charity Navigator, the largest online watchdog of charities in the United States, has given JDRF its highest rating of 4 stars. In making the announcement, Charity Navigator noted that less than a third of the non-profit organizations it rates receives a 4-star rating for even one year, and that two consecutive years of 4-stars “sets JDRF apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.” Charity Navigator bases its ratings on statistical formula that looks at a charity’s efficiency and fiscal management.
