Empire City Casino Hosts Annual Walk to Cure Diabetes

Last week, the 10 greatest trotters in the world were on the historic Yonkers Raceway oval for the revival of the Yonkers International Trot. This Sunday, October 18th, the great field behind the starting gate will be much larger – 2,000 strong – on the track for an important international cause – the “Walk to Cure Diabetes.”

Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway Vice President and COO Bob Galterio’s daughter Cara was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 9, and the longtime executive immediately was compelled to take action to fight the disease.

So, “Cure for Cara” was born. That was 15 years ago, and on October 18th, the several thousand Empire City employees, volunteers and participants will gather to take action in the Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF. Galterio will serve as captain of the “Cure for Cara” team. Cara is now 25, and will be married later this month.

Registration opens at 9:00 am. The walk starts at 10:00 am. The fundraising goal for the chapter is to raise nearly $545,000 for research to find a cure for diabetes and its complications.

To register now and participate, sponsor the event, build a Walk team, or for more information please visit walk.jdrf.org/westchester or call the JDRF Westchester County Chapter at 914-686-7700.

“It is so important to be working alongside JDRF on such an important goal – curing a disease in which 80 people are diagnosed with every day,” says Galterio, the host of the Yonkers’ Walk. “JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes is a morning full of celebration, community and families gathering together to support their loved ones with Type 1 Diabetes.”

In addition to wide-spread corporate support, entire families from kids to grandparents take part in the fundraising efforts of the Walk to Cure Diabetes – many affected themselves by the disease. However, even those who are not among the 17 million Americans who have diabetes – or the 100 million Americans with a personal connection to the disease – will still come out to support the cause. At the Walk, there will be games, vendor booths, food and most of all FUN!

“JDRF is immensely appreciative of Empire City’s participation,” said JDRF Executive Director, Margie Ostrower. “This is corporate citizenship at its finest. The commitment of Bob Galterio and his employees enables us to accelerate research to find a cure for diabetes. Insulin is not a cure, merely life support for the estimated 3 million Americans suffering from type-1 diabetes and its complications. Research is the only answer.”

Local JDRF Walk Sponsors include: Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP, Westchester Family Magazine, Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Brown, Gruttadaro, Gaugean, Prato, LLC, D. Bertoline & Sons, Ridgewood Savings Bank, and WestMed Medical Group.

JDRF Walks are held in more than 200 cities worldwide. Nearly 500,000 people nationally walked last year and raised $90 million to cure diabetes.

JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes National Corporate Partners are: Advance Auto Parts, Ford Motor Company, Lilly, Marshalls, Medtronic, and Walgreens.

About JDRF

JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Driven by passionate, grassroots volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF is currently sponsoring $568 million in scientific research in 17 countries. More than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education.

About Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved.