On Friday, August 11, JAR Of Hope (JARofHope.org) will hold a very unique golf event.
The Richie Dell’Anno Golf Classic will honor its namesake, a well-known local businessman and mentor who died on Christmas Day of 2021 Dell’Anno was a great supporter of JAR Of Hope, which raises funds to research a cure for children dying from a very rare disease called Duchenne muscular dystrophy (MD).
Duchenne MD is a fatal disease to which kids are born — only 17,000 (mostly boys) in the U.S. They kids lose the ability to walk by about 13, lose the ability to breathe on their own by about 15, and die in their early twenties from asphyxiation. There is no cure.
“Richie Dell’Anno was a great friend to me and to JAR Of Hope,” says Jim Raffone, its founder and CEO. “In his honor, I climbed to the top basecamp on Mount Everest — 18,372 feet — last year. And now we’re very excited about the Richie Dell’Anno Golf Classic next week.”
This will be a golf tournament like no other, held at the Mercer Oaks East and West Golf Courses in Princeton Junction on Friday, August 11. In addition, the event offers numerous sponsorship opportunities for local businesses and families. Registration includes breakfast, lunch and an Awards ceremony.
The benefit tournament will also feature a Million Dollar Shootout, in which ten golfers will get a chance to get a hole-in-one — and win a million dollars.
“This is a great opportunity to get outside with friends and neighbors for a memorable day, and a lot of fun,” Jim Raffone says. “It’s also a great way to honor Richie, who did so much for the local community and businesses. And someone may walk away a lot wealthier than when they walked in!”
Jim and his wife Karen Raffone started JAR Of Hope after their four-year-old son, James Anthony (Jamesy), was diagnosed with Duchenne md in 2013. Jamesy is now 14 and in a wheelchair.
“We spent the first two days after his diagnosis in shock,” Raffone says. “But when the sun rose on Monday morning, we decided to start a foundation to search for a cure for these kids, because no parent should have to go through life knowing that they’ll probably outlive their child.”
For more information and registration info, visit JARofHope.org or call 732-414-6670.