The JDRF ambassadors, young folks living with Type-1 diabetes, greeted guests as they arrived for the cocktail hour at the JDRF Imagine Gala on April 25. Held at the Statehouse Convention Center, the annual event raises funds for Type 1 diabetes research.
During a dinner that followed, Karen Halbert spoke about her experience as a mother of a child with diabetes. "We were thrown into a world we didn't even know existed," and it was other mothers involved with JDRF who gave her family an avenue to fight the disease. "They gave us hope."
After a live auction the organization held a Fund a Cure "auction." An auctioneer called out bids -- from $100 to $25,000 -- and revelers held up their bid numbers, pledging the amount shouted out. An anonymous donor promised to match all $2,500 and $5,000 bids up to $75,000 and then added another challenge and matched all donations at the $1,000 level up to $10,000.
Afterward, Sue Tull, executive director, said she was humbled by the level of giving. She said the night's charity not only met the challenge of the anonymous donor, "we blew through it." Fund a Cure raised $370,000.
Also during the evening, Melissa and Martin Thoma were honored with the Living and Giving Award. Kevin Kelly, master of ceremonies, noted the couple's active involvement with the Arkansas chapter of JDRF as well as other nonprofits.
LuAnne Seay, who was event co-chairman with her husband, Rob Seay, told the honorees, "Your contributions have been truly priceless."
About 530 guests attended the gala, which raised a total of $643,000 for juvenile diabetes research. Presenting sponsors were BKD Foundation and the family of John Alexander Rockefeller.
-- Story and photos by Cary Jenkins
High Profile on 05/03/2015