Yamaha Helps Take On Type 1 Diabetes

For the seventh consecutive year, Yamaha Cares participated in the Southern California Half Marathon and 5K races to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County for Type 1 juvenile diabetes research.

In January, about two dozen Yamaha staff members and friends completed one of the two races and more than 100 individuals contributed donations, the highest number of participants since the program’s inception. The more than $17,000 raised this year, thanks to matching funds from Yamaha Cares for each donation, brings the grand total of overall donations to just over $77,000. Children’s Hospital of Orange County is one of just a handful of research facilities in the U.S. trying to find a cure for Type 1 Juvenile diabetes.

The check was presented to Children’s Hospital of Orange County officials in March.

“When I started this fundraising tied in with the races, there was no way I could have imagined what a success it would evolve into,” said Dave Jewell, marketing communications manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. “Each year, more and more people get involved, whether it’s running in one of the races, pledging financial support or both. This year, it jumped to an even higher level in so many ways. And on top of the money that’s raised for such an important cause, everyone who participates does so with a true attitude of caring, which attests to the spirit of giving at Yamaha and beyond.” 

Photo: Dave Jewell, marketing communications manager, Yamaha Corporation of America; his wife Beth; Dr. Susan Clark, medical director of endocrinology at the hospital; Katrina Jewell; the CHOC’s Dr. Mark Daniels; and Yamaha’s Sandra Torres, who helped the Jewell family with the fundraising efforts via the Southern California Half Marathon and 5K in January.