New Jersey dad is climbing Mt. Everest to raise money

This is an unorthodox fundraiser, but a man from Manalapan will be climbing Mt. Everest in Nepal to raise money. The undertaking is seeking to raise $150,000 for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a disease that has no cure.

Jim Raffone founded Jar of Hope to raise awareness of the disease, which afflicts his son, Jamesy, as well as 20,000 other children in the U.S.

He will be climbing Everest with Dillon Doeden and Matthew Scarfo, as well as other Duchenne parents who are meeting them in Nepal. From their website:

JAR of Hope is sending a team of courageous men to climb MT. EVEREST. Yes, Jim and a small group of men will be traveling to Nepal to climb their way to the base camp of Mt. Everest. 17,598 feet into the sky the team will be climbing to raise awareness and funds to find a cure.

They will also be filming a documentary about the climb as well as to show the conditions under which the children in Nepal with Duchenne live.

Raffone said in a statement that the pandemic changed the way charities raise funds; they hope to raise $150,00 “to go toward clinical trials on researching a cure for Duchenne at the University of Florida. It's certainly an unorthodox way to raise funds for research. But we can't hold events now. And these kids are dying even as we speak."

According to Patch.com, the three men will leave for Nepal on April 18 and return on May 3.

There will be a fundraising concert on Feb. 23 at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park.

To buy tickets for the concert, donate to the climb, or for more information, go here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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