SFA Announces 13th Annual Fundraising Gala

SARCOMA FOUNDATION OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES 13TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA – “A Celebration of Life”

-Richard Gorlick, MD, among the honorees at the cancer charity event to be held at the magnificent Capitale located at 130 Bowery, New York, NY-

DAMASCUS, Md. – April 7, 2015 – On Thursday, April 30, 2015, generous hearts from all over will join the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) at “A Celebration of Life” to raise money to continue funding innovative research for patients with sarcoma. At the gala, Richard Gorlick, MD, of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and SFA Medical Advisory Board, will be recognized with the 2015 Nobility in Science Award for his dedication to dedication to the science and research toward finding the cure for sarcoma, a rare cancer of the connective tissue.

2014 SFA Courage Award winners will host this year’s event. The Chairperson will be Amira Yunis, a high grade spindle cell sarcoma survivor. Charlie Mingroni, a Ewing’s Sarcoma survivor, will join SFA as the Master of Ceremonies and Evan Ruggiero, an Osteosarcoma survivor, will serve as an award presenter and the spotlight entertainment for the evening.

“We are so pleased to acknowledge Dr. Gorlick this year for his dedication to innovative sarcoma research and his efforts to test novel breakthrough therapies in the pediatric clinical setting” said SFA Chief Executive Officer Bert E. Thomas IV, PhD. “We are also delighted to recognize Ms. Yunis, Mr. Mingroni and Mr. Ruggiero for their ongoing commitment to increasing sarcoma awareness.”

Each year the SFA bestows honors on individuals in the sarcoma community. This year seven sarcoma survivors will be presented with the SFA Courage Award honoring their strength and perseverance in their battle against sarcoma. The 2015 SFA Courage Awards will be presented to Damon Billeck, Logan Brandt, Ryan A. Davis, Brooke Hamilton, Michael J. LoFaso, Christopher Louie and Daniel Shinn. The SFA is also honoring Jane Thornquist, a sarcoma nurse at the NYU Cancer Institute, with the 2015 SFA Caregiver Award for her unrelenting dedication to the care and well-being of sarcoma patients.

“The Sarcoma Foundation of America is honored to stand side-by-side with these inspiring individuals,” said SFA Chairman Mark Thornton, MD, PhD. “Their determination and perseverance to fight this insidious disease is the inspiration that drives this organization to find a cure for sarcoma.”

To learn more about SFA or to purchase tickets for the event, please visit https://www.curesarcoma.org/events/a-celebration-of-life/.

About the Sarcoma Foundation of America

The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, is an advocate for increased research to find new and better therapies with which to treat patients with sarcoma. The organization raises money to privately fund grants for sarcoma researchers and conducts education and advocacy efforts on behalf of sarcoma patients. For more information, please visit www.curesarcoma.org.

Sarcoma is a rare cancer in adults (1 percent of all adult cancers) but rather prevalent in children (about 15 percent of all childhood cancers). At any one time, 50,000 patients and their families are struggling with sarcoma. Every year, nearly 15,000 new cases are diagnosed and about 6,000 people die from the disease.

 

Contact Information
Lori Hoffman
(301) 253-8687