JAR Of Hope Roller Derby

Throughout my time in the Miss America Organization I have met so many amazing, philanthropic, community oriented people. As is usually the case, most of them are interconnected in some way. A while back, I learned of a little boy named James Raffone who had just been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His parents happened to be friends of Kim Leo, the owner of Dock's Clam Bar & Pasta House, who I walked with at the St. Jude Walk. Both Kim and Jamesy's parents happen to know Rob Capolongo, whom I met through Michael’s Cause. Soooo, when I found out about the JAR of Hope fundraiser for "Team Jamesy" at Roller Jam, I was happy to attend and lend my support.

After racing through the parking lot so as not to have a chance encounter with the "Staten Island Clown," my Mom and I made our way through the crowd into Roller Jam. Staying with my “interconnection” theme, the first person I saw was Dominic's grandmother collecting donations. What a surprise! We made our donation and walked right into another friend, Carla Murino - all around superwoman and swimsuit designer extraordinaire! I told you that everyone is connected in the world of philanthropy...especially on our little island! 

As we made our way around, we saw several other familiar faces and I got to meet Jamesy and his family. This little boy is absolutely adorable, even though he wouldn’t look at me at first! I was thrilled to watch some incredible dancers from LA Dance perform and speak to them about the Miss America Organization. 

Of course, I had to get some basket tickets. I had my eye on a Michael Kors clutch bag, which to my surprise…I won! My mom won a photography session and pizza for a year from Jimmy Max, which I'm looking forward to enjoying after Miss NY! Jamesy and Michael Capolongo called some of the prizes and it was great to see these two together. The support from the community was overwhelming as everyone came together to work towards a cure for DMD.

It was great meeting the Raffone family and I look forward to supporting them in the future. Together, we will find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.