On Friday, September 13, 2019, the JDRF Greater Bay Area Chapter hosted the 14th Annual Summer Classic & Backswing Bash at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, raising more than $558,000. This fun and lively event featured a golf classic, cocktails, silent and live auctions, an evening dinner bash, presentation of the JDRF Summer Classic Impact Award, and dancing under the stars to DJ DiaBeats. NBC Bay Area News Reporter Bob Redell served as Master of Ceremonies for the third time. Laurie Colmery and Nancy Riley served as the 2019 JDRF Summer Classic Committee Co-Chairs.
Live auction highlights included a Hawaiian Big Island Dream Vacation, a Service Champions Heating & Air Conditioning Home Comfort System, a Wine Country Getaway with a three-night stay at the luxurious Calistoga Ranch Lodge, and a surprise item that gave the winner naming rights to a character in best-selling author Andy Weir’s next novel.
Eleven-year-old Jonah Cohen was the Fund A Cure speaker. He said, “A dream I have is that not a single soul would have to live with T1D. I want to be able to say that I used to have T1D. I am only 11 but I will do what I can to help, and I am asking you all to join me.”
The JDRF Greater Bay Area Chapter Impact Award was presented to Abbott at Summer Classic. This year’s honoree, Abbott, was selected for their extraordinary commitment to JDRF and to the health and well-being of our community. A global healthcare company dedicated to helping people live more fully at all stages of life, Abbott has been a valued partner of JDRF for 14 years, supporting JDRF at chapter events and through its annual Employee Giving Campaign. To learn more about Abbott visit abbott.com.
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Their mission is to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested over $2 billion in research funding since our inception. They are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. They collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D.