NY Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak Hopes to Surpass $1 Million Raised This Mother's Day With Her Online Auction for Diabetes Research

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As if being a mother of five and a New York Times bestselling author weren't enough, award-winning novelist Brenda Novak is also a true philanthropist. Now in its 6th year, Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research, benefitting the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), is slated to surpass the $1 million mark.  Held each May in honor of Mother's Day, the month-long online auction at BrendaNovak.com features personal meetings, lunches and dinners with celebrity authors, world-class getaways and state-of-the-art gizmos and gadgets.  

Novak couldn't be more pleased as she has dedicated hundreds of hours and sacrificed time with family, all to make plans, handle phone calls and reach out to fellow authors, publishers and others for prizes and auction items.  For Novak, it's all a labor of love and a concentrated effort to find a cure for her son who has lived with diabetes for most of his life.  

"I remember when this all started how excited we were when we raised $34,000, and we were overjoyed with the results. Never in my wildest dreams, just a few years later, would any of us have thought we'd be talking about a million dollars raised," says Novak. In all, Novak's online auction has pulled in over $770,000 for diabetes research and with continued hard work on the part of Novak and her slew of volunteers, this year's total could bring her to more than $1 million raised for critical research.  For the second year in a row, the DRI is the sole beneficiary of this effort.

"It is heartwarming to know that so many people care about helping and that with each new year more friends, and sometimes people I just met, step forward to help support the search for a cure," says Novak. "Everyone involved in this event should be proud to know that their hard work goes to support the Diabetes Research Institute whose sole focus is on finding a cure for those living with type 1 diabetes so that my son and millions of others living with this disease won't have to deal with the daily unknowns and ravages to the body it causes."

As in previous years, the auction boasts some incredible and very unique items that simply cannot be found elsewhere. Auction items should be of particular interest to budding authors due in large part to the participation of some of the most prolific writers in the country today who are offering their experience and expertise to help cultivate future talent. This year, renowned authors including Debbie Macomber and Christine Feehan are offering the opportunity to have your name used for a character in their next books, and author Anna DeStefano will be auctioning off designer purses from her collection. Margie Lawson will be offering a writing instruction session and edit 50 pages deep; Heather Graham has put together a "Big Easy" Writing Weekend in New Orleans that coincides with the 5th Annual Writers for New Orleans Conference; and Julia Hunter is offering a 2011 "Write at Sea" Master Class featuring the newest way to get away and write!

"Each year we are amazed by the creativity and broad appeal of Brenda's auction and how her followers and contributors have grown," said Robert A. Pearlman, president and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. "Our hat goes off to Brenda, not only for the support she has provided to the Diabetes Research Institute but for her extraordinary energy, drive and commitment. We are proud to be her partner."

The Diabetes Research Institute, a center of excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is a recognized world leader in cure-focused research. Since its inception in the early 1970s, the DRI has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes research, pioneering many of the techniques used in islet transplantation. The DRI is now building upon these achievements by bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies to restore insulin production. For the millions of families already affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure.  For more information, call 1-800-321-3437 or visit DiabetesResearch.org.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation