The 2018 Hope Gala honoring Chuck and Claire Bowling at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino raised more than $1.3 million dollars on May 11, 2018 to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications.

“We are grateful for the incredible support of community and business leaders here in Southern Nevada,” said Jim Mason, Board President of the JDRF Nevada Chapter. “The dollars raised at this year’s event will help lighten the burden on 1.25 million Americans with type 1 diabetes and help us realize our vision of a world without T1D.”

The crowd participated in a silent auction and live auction, bidding on items including a private dinner in your home with Chefs Mary Sue Miliken and Susan Feniger from Border Grill, which sold TWICE for an impressive $23,000 each! Guests also bid on a one-of-a-kind Ultimate Cirque Du Soleil VIP Experience that included artist meet-and-greets, behind the scenes tours, and even a complete makeover and including costumes before taking part in dress rehearsal at one of the shows.

The silent auction raised $168,117 and the live auction raised $295,400 – both setting records for the amount raised in the auction for the Southern Nevada Chapter.

The evening ended with the signature JDRF Fund A Cure, a staple of the JDRF Gala program. Guests raised their bid cards enthusiastically, knowing 100 percent of all tax-deductible contributions will fund research for JDRF’s most crucial research priorities.

More than 100 JDRF Galas take place each year in the United States, bringing together thousands of people who are inspired by JDRF’s mission. As a signature JDRF fundraising event, the JDRF Gala Program has raised over $1 billion for life-changing T1D research—research that has led to breakthrough discoveries, many of which have already moved into clinical trials and real-world testing. Although there has been considerable progress, there is so much more we have yet to accomplish.

The JDRF Southern Nevada Chapter gratefully acknowledges its event partners including: Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Chuck & Claire Bowling, Bob & Suzanne Moon, Alan Morris & Pia Exber-Morris, The Nordling Family, The Micatrotto Family, Palm Medical Group, Playstudios, Red Star Fence Company, Bank of Nevada, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Cirque du Soleil, Fifth Avenue Restaurant Group, Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, Dr. James Manning, The Mason Family, Andy & Julie Gruber, Meadows Bank, Nevada State Bank, Roy & Lara De Guzman, Remington Nevada, United Service Companies, and Lilly Diabetes.

“Thank you to Chuck and Claire Bowling, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Pia Exber-Morris, Ardi Najmabadi, our entire auction committee, and our dedicated volunteers for making this year’s gala such a success,” said Mason. “Together, we will turn type one into type none. Thank you!”