Pediatric Cancer Foundation: "Totally 80s"

Back in March I hosted "The HOPE Project," a performance benefit to raise money for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. I chose this organization after doing some research and discovering that over 90% of ever dollar they receive goes towards funding research to find a cure for pediatric cancer. That was the deciding factor for me. As a result, I was able to donate over $14,000 to them. They were so grateful and gave me two tickets to attend their “Totally 80s" event on May 15th as a special guest. I was extremely excited and eagerly accepted.

My mom and I drove into Manhattan after work and, after driving around for a bit, managed to find a meter to park at right around the corner from Providence, the venue for the night’s event…SCORE! When we entered Providence, I was quite impressed. It was beautiful! The place was so funky and different. There were two floors and everything screamed "80s."  The party planners did a TOTALLY AMAZING job!

Just as we walked in, I met Cheryl Rosen (President) and Nancy Joselson (Executive Director) whom I had never personally met but had spoken to and emailed several times as I was planning my benefit. I was equally as pleased to meet them as they were to meet me. Nancy showed me the program and, to my surprise, I was listed as a Diamond Sponsor for my contribution to their organization! What an honor! I was introduced to several other key people in the organization and we “laid claim” to a small table inside before going to scout out the buffet table.

The food selection ran the spectrum from sushi to pasta…and that sushi was exactly what I needed to avoid the pasta! There were also passed hors d’oeuvres. 

We mingled with the guests, spoke to several board members, listened to some great 80s music from the band and took some pictures. Halfway through the evening, the ceremony began. The honorees for the evening were Lois Baskin and Jodi Posner, friends who had been chairing the PCF Walk together each year for the past 20 years. In that time they have raised an incredible 4 million dollars! Jodi lost her son about 16 years ago to cancer. I find it incredibly inspiring that she was able to channel her grief into something that benefits other children still battling their illness. The friendship, admiration, and respect that these women had for each other was clearly evident, as was the support from those surrounding them. I was moved by what they have been able to accomplish with the help of their friends, family and communities. Unfortunately, the pair have decided to step down. I wish them an evidently well-deserved retirement, but from what I learned about them in this short time, they'll probably still have a hand in the PCF Walk next year! 

The evening concluded with an auction, with items to bid on that would directly assist patients with pediatric cancer. These included pediatric infusion pumps, patient comfort programs and various research projects. For just these items, alone, over $30,000 was raised. WOW! I was in awe! 

As we left, the party was still in full swing, but my bed was calling as I had to be up bright and early for work the next morning. Thank you to everyone at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation for being so welcoming and kind. Like I said, you never do good deeds for the recognition, but it is nice to know that my donation was appreciated and will be put to good use. Thank you.