Reporting by Leah
The Max Cure Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to find pediatric cancer causes, hosted its second annual charity benefit, Roar For A Cure Carnival, on Saturday, August 21, 2010 on the grounds of the East Hamptons Indoor Tennis Club located in East Hampton, New York.
More than 300 adults and children attended throughout the day partaking in two acres of fun-filled activities from and performances by Anna Maria Perez deTagle,star of Camp Rock, FAME, and Hannah Montana, and opening act for the Jonas Brothers; Burnham,Island Def Jams new young pop trio; Stephen Jerzak, and Six Volt.
Special guests included Christie Brinkley, Bryan Batt (Mad Men), John Starks,former New York Knicksshooting guard, Ottis Jerome “O.J.” Anderson,former running back for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants, and Vyto Kab, former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Detroit Lions.
More than $400,000 was raised and the proceeds will benefit:
The Max Cure Fund For Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), dedicated to researching pediatric cancers, improving treatments and finding cures that will save childrens lives
Katys Courage Fund, which financially assists 11-year-old Katy Stewart from Sag Harbor, N.Y., as she and her family battle her rare form of liver cancer
Dr. Oren Bechers Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund in memory of Lily Taubin who died at the age of five from a lethal brain tumor in 2009.
We had hoped to set a new fundraising record and we did, said David Plotkin, chairman of The Max Cure Foundation. All of us at the Max Cure Foundation are most appreciative of the entire East End community and to many others who traveled great distances for their support and generosity.
The Roar for a Cure Carnival brought together the efforts of three New York-area families valiantly fighting pediatric cancer: the Plotkins, the Stewarts and the Taubins. Seven-year-old Max Plotkin,from Manhattan and Amagansett, is the inspiration behind both The Max Cure Foundation and the Roar For A Cure Carnival. Diagnosed with an extremely rare form of B-cell Lymphoma three years ago, Max continues to hold his cancer at bay with strength beyond his years.
Katy Steward learned last year that she had Hepatoblastoma, a rare and potentially lethal form of liver cancer, and bravely continues to receive treatment. Both Katy and Max continue to be monitored at MSKCC.
At the age of four, Lily Taubin was diagnosed with an inoperable malignant brain tumor. She received an aggressive combination of radiation and chemotherapy simultaneously for six weeks. Even though treatments continued throughout the school year, her strong will did not let them deter her from attending school and, in fact, she only missed the days on which she received treatment. On October 27, 2009, Lily underwent surgery to relieve pressure on her brain.She never recovered and a week later, she passed away peacefully at age five, surrounded by her favorite pink toys and her family and friends.
About The Max Cure Foundation For Pediatric Cancer Causes
Formed in December 2008, The Max Cure Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation focused on conventional and innovative fundraising with a clear and focused mission to advance a cure for pediatric cancer and finding effective treatments for children with cancer through:
Raising funds for innovative research to improve treatments and quality of life during and post treatment
Building public awareness of the fight to cure pediatric cancer
Inspiring hope and courage in children with cancer, their families and communities
The Foundation was established by the Plotkin family in honor of Maxwell Grant Plotkin, who, in May 2007 at age four, was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of B-cell Lymphoma and continues to bravely fight his disease and inspire others to rise above adversity.
The Foundations initial goal is to raise $5 million for the creation of a first of its kind Cell Therapy Laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
$775,000* has been raised through the first half of 2010
$520,000* has been contributed to the Max Cure Fund at MSKCC, formed by the Plotkin family in June 2007, whose funds are earmarked for the underwriting of the innovative researchlaboratory
$109,000* has been contributed to other pediatric cancer causes
*Does not include proceeds from this years Roar For A Cure Carnival.
For more information about The Max Cure Foundation, visit www.maxcure.org.
About Katy’s Courage Fund
Katy Stewart is 11 years old and lives with her family in Sag Harbor, N.Y.She is the daughter of two Eastern Long Island educators Jim, a teacher and coach at East Hampton High School; and Brigid, assistant principal at Montauk Public School.Their lives were forever changed on the night of April 3, 2009, when Katy awoke at a slumber party with excruciating stomach pains.She was raced to the emergency room at Southampton Hospital.By late morning, she and her family were on their way to Stony Brook Hospital where she had a CAT scan.The scan revealed a tumor on her liver.Biopsy results were reported one week later the tumor was malignant.She had Hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. Katy is courageously fighting her cancer and is being monitored at MSKCC where she had received treatment. The mission of Katys Courage Fund is to assist the Stewart family with their financial needs while caring for Katy as the family and Katy jointly battle this potentially lethal disease.
About Dr. Oren Becher’s Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund
Dr. Oren Becher is a pediatric oncologist who specializes in the treatment of children with brain tumors at Duke University Medical Center. His research is focused on finding effective and less toxic treatments for these children. One particular brain tumor which he studies is brainstem glioma, a rare brain tumor that develops primarily in children and is currently incurable. One great obstacle for progress has been the lack of a suitable animal model. Prior to joining Duke, Dr. Becher conducted research at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. While there, he and his team developed a mouse model for brainstem glioma. Dr. Becher will continue to develop mouse models for other types of brain tumors, all of which can be used for the screening of novel drugs or combinations, to finally find a cure for afflicted children.
About Anna Maria Perez De Tagle
Anna Marias a fresh face in the television and film industry. She is most widely known from her role in a feature film FAME, and her roles in TV films such as CAMP ROCK, CAMP ROCK 2, The Final Jam coming in August, and Disneys hit TV show, HANNAH MONTANA. This December, she was in Demi Lovatos music video for Remember December and is the new face of ELLE Girl for 2010. She just released a single on the new Disneymania 7 album, Part of Your World Remix. She is most excited about being on Tour with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato as one of the Camp Rock 2 friends!
About Burnham
Burnham – brothers Alex (age 18, guitar), Andre (16, bass and keyboards), and Forrest (14, on lead vocals) have been performing together for seven years. Personally signed to Island Def Jam by Antonio L.A. Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group, the Vermont-based trio is the newest addition to the Island Def Jam Music Groups Teen Island roster. Teen Island is spearheaded by Justin Bieber, and includes Kristinia DeBarge (Goodbye), Jessica Jarrell (Almost Love), Aaron Fresh (Spending All My Time), Khalil (Girlfriend), and School Gyrlz (Something Like A Party). “Catch MeIf You Can,”which impacts at pop radio formats on June 28th, is the first single from Burnhams debut album, due for release in the fall.
About Stephen Jerzak
Stephen Jerzak is an 18-year-old singer from La Crosse, Wisconsin who has exploded in popularity online over the last two years, selling over 150,000 singles on iTunes independently and touring the country several times before signing to Universal/Republic Records in early 2010. Stephen’s lead-off single “She Said” features Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester and will be released digitally on July 13th with a Top 40 radio campaign following immediately after.
About Six Volt
Six Volt, the young, fresh, and incredibly talented band from New Jersey, is currently on their 22-date summer tour! Formed by Granger Whitelaw, Jr. of Red Bank and Joe Cilento of Ocean last year, the bands fresh sound and talent has earned them high esteem in the tri-state area, and their audience is quickly expanding. Six Volt will be donating 5% of all income to the After-School All-Stars, a nonprofit started by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and represented by celebrity ambassador, Kobe Bryant, which provides free comprehensive after-school programs to nearly 80,000 children in over 450 schools, in 13 different cities including Oahu, Hawaii. Six Volt is currently finishing up the final touches on their LP due early fall! For more information, please visit www.sixvoltband.com.
(Sources: Roar ForA Cure; Max Cure Foundation.)
