Everything is different in 2020, including fundraising for nonprofit organizations.
Saturday, Oct. 31 was the traditional day of the JDRF One Walk Triad, which in past years has begun with thousands of supporters gathering for a walk to raise money for JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). But in 2020, the JDRF One Walk had to be held without the walk.
Instead of a walk, JDRF held a drive-in celebration in the Greensboro Coliseum parking lot on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. It’s a huge parking lot so there was plenty of room for even the cars to social distance. The JDRF One Walk usually features food, beverages, live entertainment, lots of banners, group photos for the walk teams and of course prizes along with announcements and recognitions.
This year cars gathered in the parking lot and, for those too far away from the stage to hear, the audio was broadcast on the radio. Even with the horn honking and noisemakers, it was still a more subdued affair than the usual One Walk festivities, but at a time when people are forbidden to congregate, it takes a real spirit of innovation to pull off a community event.
The Fox8 News team emceed the drive-in celebration and even in the wind, which added an unnecessary degree of difficulty, did a great job aided by the exuberance of JDRF Piedmont Triad Market Director Eleanor Schaffner-Moss.
The goal of the JDRF One Walk is to raise money for the organization that funds research for a cure for Type 1 diabetes (which used to be called juvenile diabetes), and to fund research to make life better for those who have Type 1 diabetes until that cure can be found.
Along with thanks to the sponsors and teams, the program included an update on some of the life-changing breakthroughs funded by JDRF.
The latest figure on the funds raised in 2020, when JDRF One Walk was held without a walk, was $265,365.
The top fundraising team according to the JDRF Triad website was Aaron’s Army, which raised over $17,000, followed by Davis’ Dragons, which raised over $14,000.
