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Taste of Giving 2018
Hosts, Josh and Sharon Weintraub, with The Valerie Fund ambassadors
The 7th Annual Taste of Giving Event at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City broke the $1,000,000 mark for the first time on Thursday, March 1st. In a rose-filled ballroom overlooking Central Park, a record number of more than 300 guests joined Hosts Sharon and Josh Weintraub along with some of the event's Co-hosts. A special thank you to all the Co-hosts, Alex Benjamin and Shelia Peluso, Daniel Choquette and Fabiana Bertolani, Brendan and Jenifer Garvery, Jeffrey and Jessica Goldstern, Jeffrey and Katina Mayer, Randy Reiff, Bob Richter, Jonathan and Debbie Sebiri, Marc and Bridget Toscano, Scott and Rachel Yedid, and Ben Zhang.
The generosity from event guests translates to the care that is delivered at The Valerie Fund Centers, to campers attending Camp Happy Times, and on the higher education scholarship program that helps Valerie Fund patients attend community colleges, universities and even graduate programs.
When it comes time to think about their own future careers, many patients are inspired by the medical and psychosocial professionals who have been integral in their recovery. The scholarships they receive from The Valerie Fund will enable them to choose professions that will allow them to help others.
Sharon Weintraub, Valerie Fund Board Member, Scholarship Committee Member and Co-Chair of Taste of Giving, notes that not only does the money raised at this event go towards Valerie Fund scholarships, it will go towards the expansion of the programs and services provided at The Valerie Fund Children's Centers.
"We have been involved with The Valerie Fund for almost 15 years and Josh and I continue to be inspired by all the things this organization accomplishes. Their mission is so very important as the services provided help patients and families from our area get through the ups and downs following a devastating diagnosis of cancer or a blood disorder. Thanks to the generosity of our Taste of Giving guests we have been able to have a direct impact on the scholarship program and hundreds of our incredible young adults have received support to follow their dreams of attending college and beyond. The success of Taste of Giving fundraising has also given The Valerie Fund Children's Centers the ability to expand their staff and programs to include – educational liaisons, integrative medicine, financial specialists, palliative care, additional social workers and child life specialists. These programs are so vital to our kids and their families."
Tom Papa wove his unique brand of comedy into his role as the event's celebrity auctioneer for the evening, and former Valerie Fund patients, Sierra Spriggs served as the emcee, and Meghan Gambichler told her personal story as the featured guest speaker reflecting on the journey of her cancer diagnosis.
At age 14, Meghan was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin's T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Now a cancer survivor, Meghan shared how far she has come in the last ten years. "My diagnosis taught me to make every single minute count, because although we can't control what happens to us, we can control how we react and what we can learn from it." Meghan defeated cancer, graduated in the top of her class, attended NYU, traveled the world and now works in New York City.
The Valerie Fund premiered the story of Jake, Hedda and Nashid in a new video that featured these patients and their families to reveal the way in which The Valerie Fund supports them during the most difficult periods in their lives, representing just three of the 6,000 families touched each year by The Valerie Fund. To watch the video please click here:The Valerie Fund, story of Jake, Hedda and Nashid.