The real estate industry will be holding its second annual JDRF Real Estate Games at Chelsea Piers to raise money to fund Type One diabetes (T1D) research.
Jim Whelan, an executive vice president of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), who is also on the local JDRF chapter’s board of directors, is once again organizing the June 15 event.
“Real Estate is a competitive industry and this is a different way to exhibit that competition,” said Whelan, whose teenager, Jack, was diagnosed with T1D four years ago.
Last year, 19 teams raised over $82,000 and this year $220,00 has already come in.
So far, 20 ten-person teams from the city’s top real estate companies have signed on to compete in six events. These include dodgeball, hot shot basketball, a relay race, and a rock climbing relay that last year was won by the REBNY team.
New this year is the challenging sport stacking that uses a dozen cups to see who is really physically fit, and a pass, catch and end zone dance competition that will get bystanders cheering for their favorite quarterbacks and receivers.
The event even has its own hashtag, #JDRFgames.
Teams already involved include AECOM Tishman, Brookfield Properties, The Carlyle Group, Douglaston Development, The Durst Organization, Eastdil Secured, Glenwood Management, Hines, JDS Development Group, JLL, L&M Development Partners, Langan, REBNY, Savills Studley, Silverstein Properties, SL Green Realty Corp., Tishman Speyer, TF Cornerstone, and Two Trees Management Company.
Participants will later stroll to the Sunset Terrace for a networking party.
