The Jeans for Genes fundraising campaign is the biggest CMRI event nationwide. Jeans for Genes Trivia Night is on Friday, 2 August, Gerroa Boat Fisherman’s Club. Wear your jeans, buy a badge or a pen and support the cause.

CMRI Gerringong will be selling merchandise at IGA Gerringong on 26 July (Friday), 27 July (Saturday), 1 August (Thursday) and 2 August (Friday). You can also buy raffle tickets for this year’s denim quilt that has been designed, made and donated by the Kiama Quilters’ Guild. It features denim and a range of bright colours that will appeal to all ages. The raffle will be drawn during the Trivia Night, 6:30 for 7pm start.

Buy your tickets online: www.trybooking.com/CSVVD. On sale from 8 July. Don't miss out!

Tables of up to 8 people, $30 per person, nibbles provided, courtesy bus (book through the Fisho’s) and drinks at club prices. There will be a multidraw raffle as well as the Denim Quilt raffle and Jokers to buy so you can double your table’s score for your chosen round. Bring some cash. 

Meet Joseph, aged 6. He is featured on this year’s Trivia Night poster and he is one of the 2024 faces of Jeans for Genes.

This is his story:

When young parents Sarah and Carmelo learned their child had a genetic condition, they feared for his future – but when they discovered the medical research, they gained new hope. 

Medication exists to treat patients with cystic fibrosis, and luckily for Joseph, he has only ever been hospitalized once. He does require daily treatment and must avoid high-risk environments.

“We are blessed that Joseph is actually on track now,’’ Sarah said. “We always hoped that one day when he's older, he might not have to have CF, that maybe there would be a cure. So, the future is always bright.’’

Hope has grown even more as the family heard about CMRI’s research on gene therapy for CF. This could mean that one day a simple injection could provide a cure.

“We're the lucky ones, I guess. There are other kids that are way more sick,” Carmelo said. “And when we went to the Jeans for Genes research facility and learned about gene therapy – it’s amazing to think that not only could it help Joseph and kids with cystic fibrosis, but a lot of other genetic diseases.

When you donate to Jeans for Genes, you are not just curing one disease—you could be curing many.