The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) of Western New York hosted its 18th Annual Journey to a Cure Gala on Saturday to raise money to Cure type one diabetes. The event raised more than $400,000.

The gala was hosted at the Seneca Niagara Resort Casino and boasted more than 500 attendees dedicated to turning type one into type none. The evening had a silent auction, a live auction and a “Fund a Cure” auction to encourage gala-goers to give more to the cause. Out of the dozen live auction items, the most popular was a package of 4 autographed Wayne Gretzky jerseys that sold for $5,000 and a 9-week old shih tzu puppy that sold for the same amount.

JDRF Western New York is the leading charity in the Buffalo area and it showed with the amount of energy and passion the guests had for the cause. There were multiile bidding wars and complete silence as the crowd listened to a research update about Type One Diabetes, a rarity at most fundraising events.

To support JDRF, visit its website here.

The 20th Annual Waxman Gala took place at Cipriani Wall Street on November 16, 2017. As an employee of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, it was humbling and inspiring to see more then 800 attendees come together to Invest in Cancer Research over a delicious meal catered by Cipriani and concert by the Avett Brothers. Overall the evening raised $2.5 million for Cancer Research.

I was also able to work with more then two dozen dedicated and hard-working volunteers. The group encouraged attendees to bid on our silent auction, hosted by Charity Stars and were helpful sets of eyes for our live auction.

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) hosted its 15th Annual Strolling Supper on November 8, 2017 at Gotham Hall to raise funds for lung cancer research. The evening hosted over 300 attendees who came together with the mission of making a difference. There were dozens of auction items available for bidding and supporters were encouraged to donate $100 to fund one hour of lung cancer research. The LCF has granted $34 million, the highest amount of funding provided by a lung cancer research organization to date.

It was announced that as of September 30, 2017 the LCRF has merged with Free 2 Breathe, a nation-wide grassroots effort to fund lung cancer research. Together these organizations focus on the shared mission of improving lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of lung cancer.

To make a difference and donate to lung cancer research, visit their website here.

What an amazing evening. More than 450 Good Cookies gather at Metropolitan West in NYC to raise $1.2 million for childhood cancer research. This was a bittersweet evening as it was my last event working for Cookies for Kids' Cancer, an amazing but small organization making a global impact in the world of pediatric cancer research. The evening centered around a 5-course dinner for 40 tables cooked on site using donated Samsung stoves by 20 of the top chefs in Manhattan including Bobby Flay, Shane McBride, Dan Kluger, James Kent and more. 

For more information visit the Chefs for Kids' Cancer website. 

The 2nd annual Chefs for Kids' Cancer - the Carolinas took place in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Fillmore Underground. This cocktail event had to be rescheduled because the original date was the day of the North Carolina riots. All vendors and guests rallied after the riots and came together to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer research. 

Learn more about future Chefs for Kids' Cancer events in North Carolina here. 

That's a wrap!! My first gala event that I was intimately a part of all of the nitty gritty details. This year marked the 3rd annual Chefs for Kids' Cancer gala to benefit Cookies for Kids' Cancer to fund pediatric cancer research. The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour and continued to a 5-course sit-down dinner cooked on site by 20 of NYC's finest chefs including Bobby Flay (!!) and Dan Kluger, Eli Kameh and more. Overall, the event raised $1.1 million and by the end of the evening, there was not a dry eye or empty stomach in the house!