YONKERS,
NY, Friday, October 4, 2013 -- Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway Vice
President and COO Bob Galterio’s daughter Cara was diagnosed with type 1
diabetes at age 9, and the longtime sports executive immediately was compelled
to take action to fight the disease.
So, “Cure
for Cara” was born. That was 13 years ago, and on Sunday, October 6, more than
2,500 Empire City employees, volunteers and participants will gather at
Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, to take action in the Walk to Cure Diabetes for
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Galterio will serve as captain of
the “Cure for Cara” team.
More than 2,500 walkers representing local corporations, families, schools, and
other organizations are expected to participate in the Westchester County
Chapter of the JDRF annual Walk to Cure Diabetes, on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at
Empire City. Registration opens at 9am. The walk starts at 10am. The
fundraising goal for the chapter is to realize nearly $650,000 for research to
find a cure for diabetes and its complications.
To
register now and participate, sponsor the event, build a Walk team, or for more
information please visit www.walk.jdrf.org
or call the JDRF Westchester County Chapter at 914-686-7700.
“It’s
great to be partnering with JDRF and working together on such an important goal
– curing a disease that kills one American every three minutes. The recent
statistics are staggering and reveal that health care expenditures surrounding
diabetes cost our nation more than $174 billion,” says Corporate Walk Chair,
Bob Galterio, Vice President and COO of Empire City Casino. “These are
the reasons we are committed to raising money for the cutting-edge research
that JDRF funds. By working together, we can make a difference.”
In
addition to wide-spread corporate support, entire families from kids to
grandparents take part in the fundraising efforts of the Walk to Cure Diabetes
– many affected themselves by the disease. However, even those who are not
among the 17 million Americans with a personal connection to diabetes come out
to support the cause. At the Walk, there will be games, vendor booths,
pony rides, live music, food and most of all FUN!
“JDRF is
immensely appreciative of Empire City’s participation,” said JDRF Executive
Director, Margie Ostrower. “This is corporate citizenship at its finest.
The commitment of Bob Galterio and his employees enables us to accelerate
research to find a cure for diabetes. Insulin is not a cure, merely life
support for the estimated 3 million Americans suffering from type-1 diabetes
and its complications. Research is the only answer.”
Local
JDRF Walk Sponsors include Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Bleakly
Platt, Entergy, Brown, Gruttadaro, Gaujean, Prato, LLC, Westchester Medical
Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and WestMed.
JDRF
Walks are held in more than 200 cities worldwide. Nearly 500,000 people
nationally walked last year and raised $90 million to cure diabetes.
JDRF is
the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s
goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until we
achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners
and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory
influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure
T1D.
As the
largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF is currently sponsoring $530
million in scientific research in 17 countries. In 2012 alone, JDRF provided
more than $110 million to T1D research. More than 80 percent of JDRF’s
expenditures directly support research and research-related education. In 2012
Forbes magazine named JDRF one of its five All-Star charities, citing the
organization’s efficiency and effectiveness.
To
register now and participate, sponsor the event, build a Walk team, or for more
information please visit www.walk.jdrf.org
or call the JDRF Westchester County Chapter at 914-686-7700.
(photo is of last season’s Walk behind YR’s starting car)
