Bestselling Author Brenda Novak Raises $359,815 for a Type 1 Diabetes Cure
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 01, 2013 -- Today, New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak sent the proceeds from her eighth annual diabetes research fundraiser to support practical cure research being conducted at the Diabetes Research Institute.
This year, the Brenda Novak for the Cure of Diabetes online auction raised $359,815 for practical cure research, up from $319,000 in 2012. Since the auction’s inception, she has cumulatively raised over $2 million dollars for a cause that affects 3 million people in the United States alone. Novak’s son, Thad, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child and she has made it her mission to find a cure for him and for others.
While Novak has supported the Diabetes Research Institute for the past few years, this is the first year that she is specifically earmarking, or “stipulating,” that all funds be used for practical cure research projects. She worked with the independent, nonprofit Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance to define a practical cure and identify projects that had the best chance of helping her son and others in the near term. A practical cure would eliminate carbohydrate counting, daily blood sugar testing, the worry of going low overnight and other burdens of diabetic life. Most importantly, a practical cure is bound by an outcome based definition and timeline to prioritize work that can be brought to market in the foreseeable future.
“The JDCA has been a great support in helping me channel my fundraising dollars into the research initiatives I really want to support,” said Brenda Novak. “It's wonderful to find a watch dog type entity that can guide charities toward the more hopeful projects--ones with the potential to provide a practical cure in a reasonable amount of time to those with diabetes.”
The JDCA works to bring about a practical cure for type 1 diabetes by its 2025 goal date. They advise donors on how to support this goal and inform them on cure progress. The JDCA helped Novak construct a letter that legally binds the DRI to use the funds for practical cure projects.
“The nonprofits should be held accountable and responsible to donors,” said Phil Shaw, JDCA general manager. “Donors contribute their hard earned dollars, time and passion to support nonprofits like the DRI. They can, and should, ask tough questions to make sure that the nonprofit they support is focused and pursuing the type of research the donor intends.”
About Brenda Novak
It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak 's author career. "I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup to get them to sleep while I was away," Brenda says. "It was then I decided that I needed to do something from home." Now she is a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, and many of her books have been designated an RT Book Review Magazine "Top Pick" and have gone on to place in contests such as the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, the National Readers' Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Write Touch Readers' Award, and the Book Buyer's Best. Brenda has given writing workshops at various RWA events, RT Book Review Magazine conventions, California Fiction Writer meetings, women's groups and library events. For more about Brenda, visit http://www.brendanovak.com, where you can find excerpts of her work, prize drawings, book trailers, freebies and information about her annual on-line auction for diabetes research which she holds every May in honor of her son and the many others who face this terrible disease.
About the JDCA
The JDCA is an independent analyst of the type 1 diabetes charitable universe and brings a business-like perspective to help donors focus research toward a practical cure. The mission of the JDCA is to achieve a type-1 practical cure before 2025 by steering donor contributions to the most effective charities.
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Sarah Dietze, Walker Sands Communications, 312-241-1471, [email protected]
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