Mandell JCC Brings Power to the Pedals at 3rd Annual Big Wheel Derby, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011

The Mandell JCC is gathering tykes on bikes for the 3rd Annual Big Wheel Derby on Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. at the Mandell JCC front parking lot, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT. The Derby, sponsored by Footprints Shoes & Accessories of Newington, is a fundraiser to support Alyssa’s Angel Fund, which helps children with a rare genetic disease. Special guests Brad Drazen and Yvonne Nava of NBC Connecticut will host activities including crafts, face-painting, a bounce house, lemonade and snack stand and a birthday party for The PJ Library, part of The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a program providing Jewish books to children, and offered at the Mandell JCC.

The event was inspired by 6-year-old Mandell JCC member Alyssa Temkin and her parents Gayle and Steven Temkin of West Hartford. As an infant, Alyssa was diagnosed with Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1a, or GSD, a rare genetic metabolic disease. Alyssa and others like her cannot store glycogen (sugar), which affects all aspects of her life. Her parents test and feed her every 90 minutes to avert a life-threatening crisis. Proceeds from the September 4 Mandell JCC Big Wheel Derby will make it possible for GSD1a – afflicted children, who are less fortunate, from the United States and overseas to receive specialized medical care. More than $20,000 raised since 2009 at previous Derby events have brought patients from as far away as Pakistan to the University of Florida, Gainesville, where they are treated by Dr. David Weinstein and his medical team.

The 3rd Annual Big Wheel Derby is hosted by the Mandell JCC’s Family Room Parenting Center and The PJ Library. Registration fees for the event are $18 per family and made payable to the Mandell JCC. Donations of all amounts, payable to the Alyssa’s Angel Fund, are welcome. For more information about the Mandell JCC Big Wheel Derby, or to registration, call 860-236-4571, or visit www.mandelljcc.org. To learn more about Alyssa’s Angel Fund, contact Jane Pasternak, 860-231-6342, jpasternak@mandelljcc.org.