Diabetes fundraiser nets $196,000

If Joe Mure and the big-hearted people of Queens keep it up, Juvenile Diabetes doesn’t stand a chance.
Mure, treasurer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for 13 years, has been fundraising for the organization for as long. However, this year, he, his team of volunteers and the other organizations with which he worked shattered all previous records, collecting $196,000 between their annual cocktail party and “Little North Pole” event.
Add to that $20,000 that he had in reserve, and it means that doctors and health care providers will be able to continue their work toward a cure for Juvenile Diabetes.
“I’m blown away by the amount of money we raised,” said Mure at the check presentation at his Neponsit Beach home on Saturday, January 9. “We plan on giving out every single penny. It was a very rewarding year.”
In a star-studded kick-off, Tony Sirico, a.k.a. “Paulie Walnuts” from “The Sopranos,” hit the switch to “The Little North Pole” on Sunday night, December 6, and since then, many opened their hearts – and their wallets for a good cause.
“We light ‘The Little North Pole’ for two reasons,” said Mure, whose own son, Michael, has Juvenile Diabetes. “First, we hope to put a smile on every child’s face and give them a memory of Christmas that we hope will last all their lives; and secondly, we hope to help this special group of children.”
A month later, locals, as well as representatives of Peninsula Hospital Center, Maimonides Hospital, Columbia and the JDRF gathered as the money was given out.
“It means a lot to us,” said Dr. Svetlana Ten of Maimonides Hospital, who explained that the $20,000 they received will go toward a research program and alternate methods of treatment for the disease.
The $20,000 check to Peninsula will help to ensure that children are treated, regardless of insurance or ability to pay, said Mure, who explained that “just a few years ago there was nowhere for a child to be treated for diabetes.”
Another $20,000 went to Columbia, where, Mure said, they “are working on some research that is second to none.”
He then went on to recount how a few years ago, after a little girl received treatment, “It was almost as if she had never been diagnosed.”
The remainder of the money – $155,000 – went to the JDRF, where 87 cents of every dollar goes directly to research.
The other 13 cents, said Alka Singh, New York Chapter President, JDRF, is for outreach, including mentors and support systems.
“Joe is the quote, ‘Be the change you wish to be in the world,’” said Singh. “He is our inspiration.”
“We’ve had people truly helping us and without their help we couldn’t have done it,” said the humble Mure.
Joseph De Candia, President of the International Society of SS Cosma & Damiano, whose own son has Juvenile Diabetes, has been working with Mure for the past five years to raise money and awareness.
Last summer, more 1,500 people came out to step up and help find a cure at the First Annual South Queens Juvenile Diabetes Walk-A-Thon to Cure Diabetes, which raised $150,000 for the JDRF.
“We’re working for a good cause,” said De Candia.
Other organizations that teamed up with Mure include the Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation, the Bensonhurst-Bay Ridge Kiwanis and Rockaway Jetty.
And neighborhood children even raised $500 for the cause by shoveling snow.
“I’m very proud to be part of this organization [JDRF],” said Mure. “There was a lot of money and awareness raised, now find us a cure.”
To learn more about JDRF or how you can help, visit www.jdrf.org.