Teeing Off for a Good Cause

J.B.'s Pub to Host Charity Golf Outing

By Joe Rizza

It's been over two years since 10-year-old Timothy Crane, a resident of Huntington, died from a progressive disease, andrenoleukodystrophy, for which there is currently no cure.

Since then, John Alford, owner of J.B.'s Pub in Mineola, has been lending a helping hand in an effort to raise money for research on the disease.

On Monday, Aug. 28, J.B.'s will host its annual charity golf outing with the proceeds going to benefit the Timothy Crane Memorial Fund, which was set up by the Crane family in conjunction with St. Patrick's Church in Huntington.

Through the golf outing, which is scheduled to take place at the Glen Cove Golf Club, J.B.'s Pub will be raising money through raffles and tee sponsorships.

This will be the third straight year in which Alford will be combining efforts with the Crane family. It all began when Alford's wife, Melinda, read Timothy's obituary in Newsday. Since Ed Crane, Timothy's father, and Alford both lived in Garden City, there was some connection between the families. Ed and Alford's older brother both attended the same elementary school, St. Anne's in Garden City, as did Melinda's older sisters.

"We knew the family growing up but we hadn't had much contact with them," said Alford.

For the past decade, J.B. has been sponsoring a golf outing to benefit a different charity each year. When he saw a fund had been set up in Timothy's Crane's name, Alford figured the golf outing would be the perfect opportunity to help out. "Since then, we've grown to be friendly with the Cranes on a personal basis," he said.

"It's been great," said Barbara Crane, Timothy's mother. "We've been able to raise thousands of dollars."

According to Alford, the proceeds from this year's event will go totally toward research, much of which is conducted at Johns Hopkins University. With the golf outing and the raffle tickets sold, approximately $6,000 to $10,000 is raised each year, according to Alford.

J.B.'s owner said he and his wife feel blessed to have five healthy children but want to help others who aren't as fortunate. "If we can do a little something to aid the research, then that's what we should do," he said. "We've been very fortunate here at J.B.'s to be able to live a comfortable life. It's the right thing - to try to do something for somebody else."

Barbara Crane said the Timothy Crane Memorial Fund began after his death. Parshioners of St. Patrick's Church gave money to the church to help the Crane family. Barbara Crane said most of the medical expenses were covered by insurance. Even though the Cranes didn't need the money for their own personal use, they were grateful to all of those who were generous. As a result, they set up a fund in conjunction with St. Patrick's to give a scholarship as well as money for research. "We decided that it would be a great thing to do," said Barbara Crane. "There is so little known about this disease and there really is no cure for it."

For the Cranes the need to find a cure for the disease is a pressing matter. Their other son Brian, who just turned 11 years old has also been diagnosed with the disease. Barbara Crane said no one has been able to give her guarantees he will survive. She is hoping, though, that with enough research and with enough effort, a cure can be found for all those afflicted with the deadly disease. "There's nothing we can do to bring Timmy back, but we can do our part to try to raise a little bit of money to go toward research because that's the only way a cure will ever be found," Barbara Crane said.

For those wishing to participate in the golf outing by being a tee sponsor, buying a raffle ticket or contributing a raffle prize, contact John Alford at 248-2830. For those wishing to learn more about the Timothy Crane Memorial Fund, contact St. Patrick's Church at (631) 673-5320.