Purchase 13-Year-Old Uses New Idea to Help Local Charity

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Jacob’s Cure presented their 2011 Young Leadership Award to thirteen-year-old Purchase resident Joseph Lovinger at the annual Jacob’s Cure Family Bowl event to strike out Canavan disease last month.

Over the past year, Joseph raised more than $2,000 for Jacob’s Cure through the sale of hand-made duct tape wallets. 

Joseph has been friends with Jacob Sontag, the namesake of Jacob’s Cure, for more than seven years.

“When I met Jacob in first grade at , I knew right away there was something special about him. As I grew older, I began to appreciate his fighting spirit and perseverance. I wanted to help his cause, but I never knew how I could do so,” said Joseph. 

Jacob is afflicted with a rare genetic brain disease called Canavan disease. Children with Canavan become trapped in their bodies, develop seizures, lose their ability to see and swallow and, if untreated, die in the first decade of life. The research funded by Jacob's Cure has slowed or halted the progression of the disease in most of the children who received gene therapy and have begun the recommended pharmacological treatments. Jacob will be celebrating his 16th birthday in February. 

The wallet project came into existence almost by accident. Joseph had always wanted to find a way to help Jacob’s Cure, but he never knew how. One afternoon, Joseph and his friend Dean were looking for something to do when they stumbled across a YouTube video demonstrating how to make origami wallets. After attempting to sell the wallets in school, they realized paper wallets were not marketable, so they decided to try duct tape. The new wallets, available in customized colors and designs, were such a hit with their friends that the two boys went into business together and created their company, JDWallets. 

Even Joseph’s father, Daniel Lovinger, started using one of the duct tape wallets, expressing an admiration for the simplicity of the design. One day when he took the wallet out of his pocket to pay for a purchase at Candy Rox in Rye, the owner stopped him and asked him where he had purchased it. Lovinger told the store owner all about his son Joseph and soon enough a partnership was formed. It was Joseph’s idea that the money raised from the Candy Rox sales go to benefit Jacob’s Cure.

The Jacob’s Cure Young Leadership Award is presented to a young person who goes above and beyond in their commitment to the fight against Canavan disease. It recognizes the values of leadership, integrity, and compassion, all of which Joseph embodies. The decision for Joseph to be this year’s recipient was unanimous.

“I felt honored and also very proud that I had achieved such a great thing for Jacob,” he said after receiving the award.

Joseph’s parents are proud and supportive of their son’s efforts.

“The work Joseph does on behalf of Jacob's Cure is his way of recognizing the bravery of a friend in as enduring a way as possible. He truly loves doing all he does for Jacob's Cure," said Joseph’s mom, Linda. 

You can purchase the wallets in a variety of colors and designs at Candy Rox in Rye or on the Jacob’s Cure website. Visit Jacob’s Cure on Facebook or Twitter for more information on Canavan disease and how you can join the fight.