Santa Claus Can Pen A Personal Note To Your Child This Christmas

Jolly holiday fundraiser benefits Diabetes Research Institute Foundation

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Nov.  28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yes, Virginia (and Emma, and Maria, and Max, and Willie…), there is a Santa Claus. To prove it, 'Ole Saint Nick will send a personalized letter – complete with a North Pole stamp – to any child, in any part of the world for a minimum $15.00 donation to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. This jolly holiday fundraiser at www.SantaClausDRI2012.org is certain to light up faces brighter than the star on the tree.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120405/DC83112LOGO)

The personalized letters, which can be sent by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or other family members or friends, can include all kinds of information, like a reference to any toy, game, iPad or techno-gadget on the child's wish list or whether he/she has been naughty or nice this year. Santa can even tell them that he know how well they have been managing their diabetes. The fundraising campaign is open to all families everywhere, not just those affected by diabetes. However, with almost 26 million Americans affected by the devastating disease, it is likely that almost everyone knows someone with diabetes.

To get the hundreds, even thousands of letters out to children by Christmas day, a legion of Santa's "elves" are standing by around the country, according to volunteer chairwoman Marie Jarcho.

"We had a tremendous response the first time last year. This is a wonderful and easy way to brighten a child's Christmas and they loved it. The more information that parents or others supply on the website, the more personal Santa's letter will be," she said. "As a mother of a son with type 1 diabetes, it is my hope that people will give what they can to help the Diabetes Research Institute find a cure."

After last year's event, one mother wrote that her child was so thrilled with the personalized letter that she slept with it every night until Christmas. The DRI Foundation is hoping for a greater response this year.

"This initiative is all about making children happy by receiving a personal letter from Santa Claus. We also know that during the holidays, millions of children and their families affected by diabetes wish for a cure. Our goal is to make that wish come true, and we're grateful to be able to move a step closer with the funds raised through fun programs like this," said Robert A. Pearlman, president and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

The deadline for participation at www.SantaClausDRI2012.org is midnight on December 18^th.

About the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation

The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation (DRIF) is the organization of choice for those who are serious, passionate and committed to curing diabetes. Its mission is to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now.

The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to shrink the timeline toward the discovery of a biological cure for this disease.  Having already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, the DRI is building upon these promising outcomes by bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies. The Diabetes Research Institute was created for one reason – to cure diabetes – which is and will continue to be its singular focus until that goal is reached. For the millions of people affected by diabetes, the DRI is the best hope for a cure. For more information, visit DiabetesResearch.org.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation