MURFREESBORO – Juvenile Diabetes remains without a cure, but that doesn’t stop David Lane from trying to find one.

Through the unconditional love for his teenage son, Josh, a victim of Juvenile Diabetes, Lane annually organizes the Josh Lane Golf Classic at Beechwood Country Club. This event, now in its ninth year, has generated nearly $150,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“It’s my hope that every year we will not have to hold this tournament because a cure would have been found,” Lane said. “I would love nothing better than to put away the golf clubs, but we’ll keep playing, we’ll keep holding this tournament until a cure is found. We feel that we get a little closer to that cure with each passing year.”

The 2008 version of the Josh Lane Golf Classic is set for Tuesday, Aug. 12 at Beechwood Country Club. Over the years it has grown into the largest, single-day golfing event in northeastern North Carolina, attracting over 170 golfers annually.

“We’ve grown to the point where we can no longer accommodate all the golfers in a single round,” Lane noted.

With that in mind, the Classic now uses a two-flight format. Tee times are set for morning and afternoon rounds, with the teams choosing their preferred starting times,

This year, the morning round will begin at 8:30 a.m. Registration and check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. Those choosing to play in the afternoon can begin checking-in at 12:30 p.m. for a 1:30 p.m. tee time.

Lunch (12 noon until 1:15 p.m.) will be served for all golfers.

Those wishing to participate are urged to pre-register as soon as possible. The event has been a complete sell-out for the first eight years.

Prices start at $100 for an individual golfer. Teams (foursomes) can register for $350. The price includes 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch, two mulligans per player, a golf gift and entry into all on-course games, including a grand prize drawing. The games include a $10,000 putting contest, Longest Drive and Guess the Tees.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for non-golfers looking to contribute to the fight against Juvenile Diabetes. Tee or green sign sponsors are available for $250 per hole. A family sponsorship board is available for $50.

Other sponsor opportunities include a Golf Package ($1,000: one foursome, signage at two holes, prominent placement of a corporate banner and all on-course special contests). Gold Level sponsorships are available for $5,000. They include two foursomes, signage at four holes, placement of corporate banner, corporate name/logo in tournament brochure, eight games packages, opportunity to exclusively distribute corporate-based product during the event and a chance to name one corporate representative to the tournament committee.

Glover Construction and Roanoke Electric Cooperative are currently two of the event’s major corporate sponsors.

To register as a golfer or to sign on as a sponsor, contact David Lane at 252-539-2236 (ext. 243) or the Triangle/Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at 1-800-377-0476. Registration is also available online at www.joshlanegolfclassic.com

In the meantime, Lane and his wife, Deborah, will perform the daily routine, a labor of love, of keeping a close check on Josh’s medical condition.

“For Josh, it’s not suffering from a visual standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint,&uot; Lane said. &uot;We still go through the finger sticks with him, constantly monitoring his blood sugar and diet. It’s still a constant struggle, but one where the effort will help Josh avoid future complications associated with diabetes.”

And as Lane knows all too well, he and Deborah are not alone in this fight.

“What we do is for the love of our son, but there are millions of other young boys and girls who have Juvenile Diabetes,” Lane closed. “What we do with this golf tournament, even though it bears the name of our son, is to help find a cure for everyone.”

You can join that effort by participating in or helping to sponsor the Josh Lane Golf Classic.