Raising Funds For Rose Rosette Disease Research

We are raising money for Rose Rosette Research.  All donations made here will go to benefit this research.*

 

Imagine a world without Roses! Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) poses an existential threat to the Rose, the Rose Industry and the Rose Hobby organizations, such as the American Rose Society, Heritage Rose Foundation, World Federation of Rose Societies. It is a virus that attacks the rose and currently there is no treatment or cure.

 

Good News! Research, underway at Texas A&M University and the University of Tennessee, has found RRD Resistant Genes. The focus now turns to getting resistance to RRD into the roses we love and want in our gardens. We are one step closer to putting this problem behind us.  But we need your help.

 

This research has been mainly funded through a federal program called Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI). The bad news is that the recent SCRI grant proposal wasn’t funded and unless we can raise enough money to continue the research through September 2022, when hopefully it will be funded, much of the progress made toward a cure (resistant rose cultivars) will be lost.

 

Paul Zimmerman has made a video on RRD with Dr. David Byrne and Dr. Kevin Ong from Texas A&M University and Dr. Mark Windham from the University of Tennessee. He has donated that video to be used in conjunction with this GoFundMe page. This is a joint effort between Paul Zimmerman Roses LLC, the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M University. The video is in conversational format and was done via Zoom with many wonderful and informative visuals. They cover its history, how it spreads, how to recognize it, possible ways to prevent it and what to do about it. Then they answer questions submitted by folks on Paul’s Facebook Group Page. This video was done independently under Paul Zimmerman Roses. There are no sponsors.  The video can be found on Paul's YouTube channel and at the top of this page.

Video on You Tube 

 

Our goal is $50,00O to help keep the two research gardens going - one at Texas A&M and one at University of Tennessee. The loss of these gardens would set the research back 5-10 years and place the future of Rose in jeopardy. Please donate whatever you can today!

A NOTE ON FUNDS DISBURSEMENT

*All the money raised goes to the research with the exception of any banking fees. When the funds are withdrawn from the Go Fund Me account they are deposited into a checking account owned by Paul Zimmerman Roses LLC. This account is only used for this purpose and is totally separate from any other accounts. From there the funds are forwarded to the research. This checking account is audited by Chris Van Cleave as a 3rd party.