More than 200 generous people joined us for a hugely successful A Night at the Derby Cause to Cook for a Cure gala in January. Together, we raised a total of $49,000 to support MD research for a cure.

 

Our new beautiful location at St. Thomas University’s James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall gave us plenty of room to celebrate, dance, and raise money and awareness for an important cause.

 

The evening included live music from Lightening Creek, delicious Southern Derby fare, specialty cocktails, games of chance including black jack tables, a cake walk and a prize board, wine tasting, a silent auction and a fund-a-need auction that raised more than $12,000.

 

Thank you to our generous sponsors -- 1500 am ESPN Twin Cities, Mauer Chev, Nook/Shamrock’s, R. F. Moeller Jeweler, Bremer Bank and Decko, 2 Gingers and Sam Adam's – and the many underwriters and our fabulous guests for making the gala an unforgettable night.

 

All of the money generated at A Night at the Derby – A Cause to Cook for a Cure will be allocated exclusively to support the Greg Marzolf Jr. Trainee Program at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center at the University of Minnesota.

 

Each year, the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation awards grants to researchers in muscle disease. Since the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation’s support of the program began in 2005, research efforts have increased dramatically.

 

In total, the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation has raised more than $1,000,000 for clinical services and research since its inception more than ten years ago.

As you know, the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation is focused on supporting research for a cure and raising awareness of Muscular Dystrophy (MD), the progressive muscle disease that leads to loss of muscle function, independence and life.

 

Support the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation by participating in MN Give to the Max Day (Nov.15), which is open now and runs through midnight CT on Nov. 15. Give to the Max Day is a campaign sponsored by Give MN to encourage Minnesotans to raise as much money as possible for Minnesota nonprofits during the 24-hour online campaign.

 

Give MN will award $12,500, $5,000 and $2,500 prize grants to the top three small nonprofit organizations (that's us!) which receive the most dollars during Give to the Max Day. A prize grant of $1,000 will be awarded to each nonprofit in 4th through 10th place. Also, throughout Nov. 15, Give MN will randomly select one individual donor each hour and will award the nonprofit of their choice with $1,000 – how great would it be if someone giving to the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation won an extra $1,000 for our foundation? Consider giving your gift when fewer people are online (from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.) to increase our odds of getting the $1,000 prize!

 

How you can participate:

Before or on Nov. 15, visit www.GiveMN.org and search for Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation to donate directly to the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation. Or, you can go straight to our page on GiveMN.org.

 

As always, feel free to email us at gmjrfoundation@gmail.com if you have any questions and connect with us on Facebook.

Thank you, in advance, for your support!

The Greg Marzolf Jr. Symposium on Oct. 4, 2012 commemorated ten years of support and progress in the partnership between the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation and the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center at the University of Minnesota.

“The Marzolf family has gone above and beyond the call of duty by raising private funds to support the activities of the MD Center,” said Dr. Daniel Garry, Interim Director of the MD Center, during his opening remarks. 

The annual event is an opportunity to showcase the exciting neuromuscular research currently being conducted by students at the University of Minnesota and hear from a guest speaker about cutting-edge advances in MD therapies and research nationally.

This year’s guest speaker was Jerry Mendell, MD, director of the Center for Gene Therapy and Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Mendell has received multiple awards for his contributions to the field of neuromuscular diseases with an emphasis on muscular dystrophy. He was the first person to do gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystophy, is internationally recognized, has published more than 300 peer reviewed papers, and has authored two books. 

Dr. Mendell explained that “Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common life-threatening childhood form of muscular dystrophy and we are compelled to find a treatment for this disease -- and I really have spent my life doing that.”

During his remarks, he updated the audience on some advances in clinic gene therapy trials and newborn screening studies.

A New York Times article, “Drug Shows Promise in Treating A Type of Muscular Dystrophy in Boys” recaps promising outcomes from one of Dr. Mendell’s recent clinic trials.

Prior to the keynote speech from Dr. Mendell, more than 40 post-doctorate, doctorate, graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Minnesota presented their research ranging from how muscles work and are developed as well as understanding different methods to treat muscular dystrophy.

Funds from the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation established, and continue to support, the Gregory Marzolf Jr. Training Program at the MD Center.  This year, the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation has awarded $50,000 to the Gregory Marzolf Jr. Training Program, thanks to the support of our generous donors.

The following researchers and students were recognized as the 2012 Marzolf Awardees.

 

Marzolf Scholar Award -- Dr. DeWayne Townsend

Project Description: Heart disease is a leading cause of death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a uniformly fatal disease characterized by severe skeletal muscle injury and cardiomyopathy, resulting from mutations within the dystrophin gene. The clinical importance of the heart requires that dystrophin’s function in the myocardium be a central focus in the development of effective therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin connects the internal cytoskeleton to the membrane and functions as a mechanical buffer, protecting the membrane from the forces of contraction. Dystrophin also serves as a scaffold, coordinating the positions of many proteins. This laboratory explores the physiology of animal models of muscular dystrophy. Through assessment of respiratory, vasc

ular, and cardiac function we hope to uncover the central mechanisms of dystrophic cardiomyopathy. Only by understanding these fundamental mechanisms of disease, will they be able to develop effective therapies.

Undergraduate Research Fellowships

 

Ashley Brate – Project Title: Effects of disease-causing point mutations on actin’s resilience

 

Iustin Cornea – Project Title: Computational modeling guides therapeutic development for muscular dystrophy

 

Michael Eckhoff – Project Title: Effects of Differential Utrophin Expression on Contractile Function of Dystrophin-Deficient Mouse Muscle

 

Praveena Narayanan – Project Title: Regulation of actin turnover in skeletal muscle by Wdr1, Cofilin and Coronin

 

Benjamin Petrie – Project Title: Baculovirus Based AAV Generation: Adding Efficient Production to Efficient Transduction

 

Ryan Price – Project Title: Fluorescence quenching measurements to study the structural defects caused by a myosin essential light chain cardiomyopathy mutation.

  

Jenny Seong – Project Title: Green Fluorescent Protein membrane localization via N-terminal myristylation: proof-of-concept study for the design of a calcium buffering system at the plasma membrane.

  

Mark Strom – Project Title: POU3F4 Regulation of Satellite Cell Self-Renewal

Many Minneapolis and St. Paul area companies are in the midst of annual corporate United Way campaigns. Did you know that you may be able to participate in your company's United Way campaign while designating a portion of your gift to The Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation? Contact us at gmjrfoundation@gmail.com with any questions on how to navigate the process.

Thank you very much to all our supporters for making the Rock the Green party such an incredible success!  We managed to raise over $20,000 to support local muscular dystrophy research!

Here are some pictures from the party, enjoy.

On August 18^th the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary by hosting the first ever “Rock the Green” party at Shamrock’s Irish Nook in Saint Paul.

Thanks to our generous sponsors, Casper and Runyon's Shamrock's Irish Nook, Mauer Chev, R.F. Moeller Jeweler and ESPN1500, the event is sure to be a party you won’t want to miss! With live music all day long featuring four different musical guests, carnival games for all ages, a putt putt contest, raffles and more, make sure to mark your calendars now for “Rock the Green”!

Admission is $25, which includes a “Rock the Green” pint glass that provides beer or soda for the day as well as admission to all four musical acts from 2pm to close. Children under the age of 12 are free and eat free from 2pm-5pm. Register and pay online today. 

Join us on August 18^th to continue the fight against MD. Show your support by wearing green and white, enjoying carnival games for all ages, and dancing to great music! If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event, please contact Jenny Marzolf at marzolfj@gmail.com.

The Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation raised more than $66,500 to support local muscular dystrophy research at An Evening in Monte Carlo – its annual Cause to Cook for a Cure fundraising gala at the Town & Country Club in St. Paul.

 

This year’s event, with a record-breaking attendance of nearly 300, was also the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation’s tenth anniversary celebration.

 

“We are thrilled with the tremendous success of the event and are overwhelmed by the passion and generosity of those who attended, sponsored, and supported the event,” said Patricia Marzolf, president of the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation. “The Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation has grown greatly in terms of size and impact over the past ten years and we hope that this larger community will continue to grow and fight to bring us closer to reaching our goal of finding a cure for MD.”

 

The Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation also debuted a video at the event which explains the critical importance of supporting local MD research and how we can all play a role in helping families with MD have hope.

 

All of the profits from An Evening in Monte Carlo will be allocated exclusively to support the Greg Marzolf Jr. Training Program at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center at the University of Minnesota.

 

Since its inception ten years ago, the Greg Marzolf Jr. Foundation has raised more than $1,000,000 for clinical services and research.

 

An Evening in Monte Carlo was a formal gala featuring champagne, Mediterranean food, casino games, wine and cheese tasting, a gourmet cake walk, prize board, a fund a need auction and more.

 

Photos from the event can be seen here: http://www.gregmarzolfjr.org/montecarlo and a full album including the photos from the “step and repeat” photo opportunity are available online here: http://gregmarzolfjr.kodakgallery.com.

 

An Evening in Monte Carlo – A Cause to Cook for a Cure was generously supported by 1500 am ESPN Twin Cities, Mauer Chevrolet, Casper’s & Runyon’s Nook & Shamrocks; Fishbowl Solutions, Bremer Bank, Decko Products, and R.F. Moeller Jeweler.

 

Thank you to those who made the evening a smashing success!

 

There’s still time to RSVP for an Evening in Monte Carlo, our annual fundraising gala at the Town and Country Club on Sat., Jan. 21. Please RSVP and buy your tickets at www.gregmarzolfjr.org/causetocook by Jan. 17 to reserve your spot. Tickets are $35 and include dinner and apps, a hosted glass of champagne and live entertainment from the band Uniform Free Day. Other activities include casino games, a fund-a-need auction, cake walk, prize boards, wine and cheese tastings and more – all to raise money for MD research. After Jan. 17, contact us at gmjrfoundation@gmail.com to check availability.