Yamaha Cares Raises More Than $60,000 for Children's Hospital of Orange County

For the sixth 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's TrialNet program for Type 1 juvenile diabetes research. Yamaha Cares is the name given to a Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) employee-based initiative dedicated to charitable works.

This year, 25 Yamaha staff members and friends completed one of the two races and 51 individuals contributed donations, the highest number of participants since the program's inception. The amount raised, more than $10,000, brings the grand total of overall donations to more than $60,000. Children's Hospital of Orange County is one of just a handful of research facilities in the U.S. that is trying to find a cure for Type 1 Juvenile diabetes.

"When I started this event, tied in with the races, I had no idea that it would grow to this level," said Dave Jewell, marketing communications manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Every year, more and more people help us with this cause and everyone who participates does so with a true attitude of caring, which attests to the spirit of giving at Yamaha and beyond."

Jewell, who plans to develop a foundation to help fight the disease, began to raise funds and awareness for the hospital after doctors diagnosed his daughter, Katrina, with Type 1 juvenile diabetes in 2005. This year, Katrina, 21, an avid runner, completed the half marathon in an impressive 1:49:59. She is now in her senior year at the University of California at Santa Cruz, majoring in molecular, cellular and developmental microbiology. After graduation, she plans to attend a program to become a physician's assistant.

The Children’s Hospital of Orange County Diabetes Center is the first pediatric diabetes program in Southern California to be recognized for meeting and maintaining American Diabetes Association (ADA) standards of care guidelines. It is also one of the largest screening sites for the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Diabetes Prevention Trial-1, which seeks to reveal causes of the disease, identify preventative measures and find a cure.

Yamaha Cares is an employee-based initiative dedicated to charitable works to promote education, arts, health and human services, and community development in the areas where its employees live and work, as well as to spread the gift of music to people throughout the U.S. For more information, visit Yamaha Cares