We love great non-for-profit work, for the eighth year in a row, New York City-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) The Cristian Rivera Foundation is gathering celebrities, supporters and donors to raise money toward a groundbreaking clinical trial aimed at curing Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
The eighth annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Celebrity Gala will be held at Broad Street Ballroom in Manhattan on Wednesday, November 30. The foundation namesake Cristian Rivera was only 4 years old when he was diagnosed with the rare pediatric brain stem tumor, which generally affects children between the ages of 1 and 9. Approximately 200 children are diagnosed with DIPG each year in the United States and most only survive for 3 to 18 months after diagnosis.
Through auction items, ticket sales and more, the eighth annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Celebrity Gala will raise money in support of a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College that officially got underway on May 1, 2012, thanks to the more than $700,000 in donations from the
Cristian Rivera Foundation to date. Spearheaded by Dr. Mark Souweidane, the Director of the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, this trial is the first of its kind to use convection-enhanced delivery to administer radio immunotherapy to children with an otherwise incurable tumor.Dr. Souweidane has found a way to operate on a tumor that had, until now, been deemed inoperable. Dr. Souweidane has developed a safe method for drug delivery to these tumors by a highly innovative surgical procedure. Up until this time surgery has played no role in the treatment plan for these children with DIPG. This procedure involves implanting a small hair-like device into the center of the tumor and then using a slow constant flow of drug directly into the involved brain stem. The Cristian Rivera Foundation is proud to support Dr. Souweidane’s important research.
The eighth annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Celebrity Gala will be hosted by Cristian Rivera Foundation Board of Director and Anchor of the award winning NBC’s “Today in New York”, Darlene Rodriguez. The event kicks off at 6pm with red carpet arrivals from esteemed guests and foundation committee members. Tickets are sold out and include passed hors d’oeuvres, five hours of open bar, and dinner provided by Celebrity Chefs Alex Garcia, a committee member of the Cristian Rivera Foundation. There will also be live and silent auctions offering one-of-a-kind items and experiences.
The eighth annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Celebrity Gala will begin at 6 PM and end at 11 PM on Wednesday, November 30th. The Broad Street Ballroom is located at 41 Broad Street in the Financial District. Sponsorship packages and ads to be displayed in the program are still available for purchase. The Cristian Rivera Foundation is accepting donations in the fight against DIPG. All contributions are tax-deductible and critical to finding a cure for this disease and assisting children and families in their ongoing fight against DIPG.
Photo credits: All photographs from the The Cristian Rivera Foundation 2015 event.
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