JDRF’s Piedmont Triad Chapter to Honor Mary Gay and Don Brady, Founder and Chairman of Brady Services, at Hope Gala on February 24

Led by a strong group of event chairs and with the support of hundreds of volunteers, the Hope Gala is expected to raise over $1 million to further type 1 diabetes (T1D) research

 

Greensboro, North Carolina, February 12, 2018 – JDRF’s Piedmont Triad Chapter will honor community leaders and philanthropists Mary Gay and Don Brady, Founder and Chairman of Brady Services, at the 2018 Hope Gala at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro on Saturday, February 24.

Now in its 18th year, the Hope Gala alternates between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The largest annual charity event of its kind in the Triad, the Hope Gala has raised at least $1 million to fund type 1 diabetes (T1D) research in six of the last seven years, and has raised approximately $14.5 million in its first 17 years.

In 1962, Mary Gay and Don Brady moved to Greensboro, where they founded Brady Services, becoming deeply immersed in business, civic, and philanthropic causes, and modeling the company’s promise statement, “Caring for our associates, our customers, and our community.” The Bradys, who have watched friends and family members struggle with diabetes, have supported JDRF and its vision of “a world without T1D” for many years. However, in June of 2017—just as JDRF approached the Bradys and asked them to serve as the 2018 Hope Gala Honorees—their interest in and passion for supporting research to find a cure for T1D increased exponentially. Mary Gay and Don’s grandson, 17-year-old Paul Farley, was diagnosed with T1D just as the Bradys accepted the Honoree role.

Don Paul Mary Gay with grandson, Paul Farley

This coincidence is not lost on anyone. Eleanor Schaffner-Mosh, Executive Director of JDRF’s Piedmont Triad Chapter, said, “Mary Gay and Don are tremendous community champions and have been stalwart supporters of JDRF for nearly 20 years. In recognition of their service, we had wanted to honor them for a long time; the fact that Paul was diagnosed with T1D at virtually the same moment we approached his grandparents underscores the urgent need for finding a cure for this disease. Creating a world without type 1 diabetes is now truly a passion for Mary Gay and Don.”

 

An all-star volunteer Gala leadership team is supporting the Bradys and JDRF:

  • Gala Chairs: Alejandra and Cliff Thompson
  • Corporate Fundraising Chair: Fred Starr
  • Fund A Cure Chair: Mary Kate Brady Farley
  • Auction Chair: Debra Cowan
  • Decorations/ Party Production Chairs: Wendy Calloway, Katelynn Calloway, Alejandra and Cliff Thompson

To sponsor, attend, or donate to the 2018 Hope Gala, please contact the JDRF office at (336) 373-1768 or visit jdrf-triad.ejoinme.org/2018hopegala.

 

2018 Hope Gala Sponsors: JDRF thanks our sponsors, many of whom have supported T1D research for years. Major 2018 Hope Gala sponsors committed to date include:

Presenting Sponsor

  • BB&T

Diamond Sponsors

  • LabCorp
  • HanesBrands
  • Koury Corporation

Platinum Sponsors

  • McMichael Foundation
  • The Fresh Market
  • Wake Forest Baptist Health

Gold Sponsors

  • Cone Health
  • Paul Fulton
  • Lilly Diabetes
  • Mickey Truck Bodies
  • Reynolds American
  • Rogers Builders
  • Sara Smith Self Foundation
  • Trane U.S.

Silver Sponsors

  • Arch MI
  • Bank of America/US Trust
  • Dixon Hughes Goodman
  • Elon University
  • HICAPS
  • Fred Starr
  • Wyndham Championship
  • XPO Logistics

 

 

About Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that impacts millions of people around the world. The disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone essential to turning food into energy. Without insulin, glucose from food stays in the blood, where it can cause serious damage to all of the body’s organ systems. It requires constant carbohydrate counting, blood-glucose testing, and lifelong dependence on injected insulin. With T1D there are no days off, and there is no cure.

About JDRF: JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, and has committed over $2.25 billion to research since its founding in 1970. JDRF and its supporters share the vision of “a world without type 1 diabetes,” and work every day to support the organization’s mission of “accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications.” JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to bring life-changing therapies from the lab to the community. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF awarded 150 new research grants in fiscal year 2017 and is currently funding research in 21 countries—including 70 active clinical trials. jdrf.org 

About JDRF – Piedmont Triad Chapter: Covering 15 North Carolina counties, the Piedmont Triad Chapter raises funds for T1D research through a variety of events, including its annual Hope Gala; One Walks in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Alamance County, and High Point; and the Ride to Cure Diabetes. facebook.com/jdrftriad  or @JDRFtriad on Twitter