Last year, right around Halloween, I came across an event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick mucus that clogs the lungs, which leads to life-threatening lung infections, and obstructs the pancreas, which stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. I contacted the organizers Louis and Donna Valentino and asked if there was anything I could do to help. They were thrilled to have me on board and we have been friends ever since. On a side note...their Halloween Party Fundraiser was incredible!
A few weeks back, I came across a Bingo night event coordinated by "
Kamryn’s Angels" to raise money for cystic fibrosis research. Knowing how badly funds are needed to continue to look for a cure, I immediately bought tickets for myself, my mom and my good friend Amanda Alicea and her mom to attend.
When we arrived at Nucci's South, owned by Ronnie Martinucci (a great guy and awesome supporter of my causes), I was not prepared for the amount of people that were inside. I also learned that there was a waiting list for the event, as well….how incredible is that! I was not surprised at all to see some familiar faces, though. Donna and Lou were there, as were many of the people from the Halloween party.
After we bought our Bingo cards, I was honored to meet Kamryn, a 10-year-old girl who has CF. We spoke for awhile and I found out that we have a common friend, Tracy Rosenberg, who as you may recall from a previous blog, was my middle school performing arts teacher. Kamryn does a summer program with Tracy and hopes to be in the performing arts class at I.S.24 next year. We chatted for a bit and Kamryn was thrilled to try on my crown. I explained the Star Princess Program to her mom, Fran, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see her at the pageant next year!
Before we knew it, dinner had been served and it was time to get down to some serious bingo. With my bingo marker in hand, I concentrated on trying to keep up with the caller. Let me tell you, you really need to concentrate when playing bingo…who knew? As we played, we had some laughs with everyone at our table. What a great group of people!
I had a great time while raising money for a great cause - as always. I came away with such a feeling of pride seeing, once again, the Staten Island community coming together to help. I love this borough and am so proud to represent it. Thank you to Kamryn and her family for having me. I look forward to seeing you at the next event!
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