The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Offers a Rare Gibson Elvis Presley Dove Guitar for Auction

March 12, 2010 - PRLog -- Collierville, Tennessee – March 12, 2010 – The West Tennessee Branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has announced that an extremely unique Gibson Elvis Presley guitar is being auctioned at the 2010 Promise Ball on Saturday, April 10, 2010 to benefit JDRF.  The guitar is an Elvis Presley Dove Signature Acoustic series and features signatures from three generations of Presleys.

On the eighth of January, 2010, what would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday, three generations autographed one of Gibson’s Elvis Presley Dove guitars to benefit JDRF.  The guitar was signed by Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, and two of Lisa’s children, Riley and Benjamin Keough.  This one of a kind acoustic guitar will be offered for sale to the highest bidder at the JDRF Promise Ball in Memphis, Tennessee on April 10th at The Peabody Hotel.  This guitar also features the Gibson logo, Grover nickel Rotomatic keystone tuners, crown peghead logo and Elvis Presley signature truss cover as well as a tapered dovetail neck joint.

In addition to the Elvis Presley Dove Guitar, JDRF is also auctioning off an original and autographed painting of a young Elvis in Tupelo by Joe Petruccio.  Joe Petruccio has been recognized by CNBC as ‘one of the best known celebrity artists in the world’.  Those interested in attending the JDRF Promise Ball may contact the West Tennessee branch of JDRF at www.jdrf.org/WestTN or 901.861.6550. Interested bidders who are unable to attend the JDRF Promise Ball may submit an absentee bid on either of these rare Elvis items by calling the West Tennessee JDRF branch at 901-861-6550.

JDRF is the leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world.  It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide.  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal.  Until a cure is found, people with type 1 diabetes have to test their blood sugar and give themselves insulin injections multiple times or use a pump – each day, every day of their lives.  And even with that intensive care, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.  

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $100 million in 22 countries in FY2009.