JAR Of Hope In Asbury Park Seeks More Study To Cure Duchenne MD

ASBURY PARK, NJ — JAR of Hope will hold the Richie Dell’Anno Golf Classic Friday at the Mercer Oaks East and West Golf Courses in Princeton Junction on Friday, Aug. 11, one of many ways the public can support its work to raise funds for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The event will honor its namesake, a local businessman and mentor who died on Christmas Day, 2021. Dell’Anno was a great supporter of JAR of Hope, the organization says.

Duchenne MD is a serious disease that affects mostly boys from birth and affects walking and breathing. There is currently no cure, the organization says.

“Richie Dell’Anno was a great friend, to me and to JAR of Hope,” says Jim Raffone, Founder/CEO of JAR of Hope, based in Asbury Park. “In his honor, I climbed to the top basecamp on Mount Everest (18,372 feet) last year. And now we’re very excited about the Richie Dell’Anno Golf Classic.”

The event offers numerous sponsorship opportunities for local businesses and families. And it will feature a “Million Dollar Shootout,” in which 10 people will get a chance to get a hole-in-one – for a million dollars, organizers say. Registration is now closed.

Jim and Karen Raffone started JAR of Hope after their four-year-old son, James Anthony (Jamesy), now 14, was diagnosed with Duchenne MD in 2013.

“We spent the first two days after his diagnosis in shock,” Raffone says. “But when the sun rose on Monday morning, we decided to start a foundation to search for a cure for these kids. Because no parent should have to go through life knowing they’ll probably outlive their child.”

For more information or to donate, go to JAR of Hope here or call 732-414-6670.