Santa Claus Can Pen A Personal Note To Your Child This Christmas

News provided by

Diabetes Research Institute Foundation

Dec 02, 2013, 12:01 ET

Jolly holiday fundraiser benefits Diabetes Research Institute Foundation

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yes, Virginia (and Emma, and Maria, and Max, and Willie…), there is a Santa Claus. To prove it, Ol' Saint Nick himself will send a personalized letter – complete with a North Pole stamp – to any child, in any part of the world for a minimum $15.00 donation to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. This jolly holiday fundraiser kicks off this year on Friday, November 29^th at www.SantaClausDRI2013.org and is certain to light up faces brighter than the star on the tree.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120405/DC83112LOGO)

The personalized letters, which can be requested by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or any other family member or friend, can include all kinds of information, like a reference to any toy, game, iPad or techno-gadget on the child's wish list or whether he/she has been naughty or nice this year. Santa can even tell them that he knows how well they have been managing their diabetes. The fundraising campaign is open to all families everywhere, not just those affected by diabetes.

To get the hundreds, even thousands of letters out to children by Christmas day, a legion of Santa's "elves" are standing by around the country, according to volunteer chairwoman Marie Jarcho.

"We had a tremendous response the last two years. This is a wonderful and easy way to brighten a child's Christmas and they loved it. The more information that parents or others supply on the website, the more personal Santa's letter will be," she said. "As a mother of a son with type 1 diabetes, it is my hope that people will give what they can to help the Diabetes Research Institute find a cure."

After the debut event, one mother wrote that her child was so thrilled with the personalized letter that she slept with it every night until Christmas. The DRI Foundation is hoping for a greater response this year.

"We know that especially during the holidays, millions of children and their families affected by diabetes are wishing for a cure. This initiative allows us to move closer to our goal of making that wish come true," said Deborah L. Chodrow, acting president and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

To send a child a letter from Santa Claus, visit www.SantaClausDRI2013.org. The deadline for participation is midnight on December 18^thin the USA and December 11^th for any area outside the USA.

The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is the organization of choice for those who are serious, passionate and committed to curing diabetes. Its mission – to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now – is a testament to the belief that tomorrow is not soon enough to cure those living with diabetes.

The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to develop a biological cure by restoring natural insulin production and normalizing blood sugar levels without imposing other risks. Researchers have already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, with some study patients living without the need for insulin injections for more than a decade. The Institute is now building upon these promising outcomes by developing the DRI BioHub, an integrated "mini organ" that mimics the native pancreas, containing thousands of insulin-producing cells that sense blood sugar levels and produce the precise amount of insulin needed in real time. The Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation were created for one reason – to cure diabetes – which is and will continue to be its singular focus until that goal is reached. For the millions of children and adults affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure. For more information, please visit DiabetesResearch.org or call 800-321-3437.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation