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Jennifer Berman
Media Relations
NYU Medical Center
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Email: Jennifer.Berman@nyumc.org
STARS AND SOCIALITES TURN OUT TO GAMBLE FOR KIDS
Adults in Toyland raises money for NYU Medical Center's Steven D. Hassenfeld Center
NEW YORK, NY – November 9, 2007 – The Hassenfeld Committee and Harrah’s Foundation hosted “Adults in Toyland Casino Night” to benefit NYU Medical Center’s Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders on Thursday, November, 8, 2007, at Cipriani, 200 Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street.
Stars and socialites including Gary Loveman, CEO of Harrah’s, Miss USA Rachel Smith, Ben Silverman, Rocco Dispirito, Lawrence Bender, John Starks and Herb Williams of the Knicks, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Dori Cooperman, Daniella Rick, Richard Kilstock, Dale and Elizabeth Hemmerdinger, and Hassenfeld family members Susan Block Casdin, Sylvia, and Allan and Vivien Hassenfeld, as well as Mr. and Mrs. John Hassenfeld, all attended the casino night and games for a cause.
600 people attended the event which helped to raise $500,000, which will fund integrative care support programs. Since its inception in 1990, The Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders has been a leader in the outpatient treatment of children with cancer and blood disorders, combining world-class medical therapies and facilities with psychosocial and emotion support for services for young patients and their families.
The Hassenfeld Committee is a group of young professionals representing a variety of corporate, cultural and philanthropic interests. The Committee’s goal is to help provide financial resources that reduce stress and anxiety for patients and families, services which are not covered by health insurance. The Hassenfeld Committee’s events have raised nearly $2 million to support programs at the Hassenfeld Center for the more than 850 children treated there each year.
Funds raised from the event support interim treatment, transportation and lodging costs for patients and their families, as well as staff positions critical to these programs; emergency discretionary funds for families in need of assistance; and the acquisition of less invasive, child-friendly equipment; amongst other uses. Monies raised have also been used to provide music and recreational therapy, extend on-site physical therapy programs, and fund bereavement and school re-entry programs.
John Starks of the Knicks, Dr. Bill Carroll, Miss USA Rachel Smith, Herb Williams of the Knicks
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