Legendary Concert Promoter Vito Bruno Makes $6,000 Donation to the Cristian Rivera Foundation

Legendary concert promoter Vito Bruno recently sent the Cristian Rivera Foundation a check for $6,000 from the proceeds of the 25th Anniversary of Freestyle concer, held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on Saturday November 6th. Bruno produced the show, which featured freestyle artists like George Lamond, Lisa Lisa, Stevie B., Judy Torres, Cover Girls, Coro, Susie Q and Noel. This was the largest single donation the foundation received to date. "The Cristian Rivera Foundation is a great charity," said Bruno. "We can't reunite John with his son but we can help other parents not lose their children. The worst thing in the world is for a parent to lose a child. Pontine Glioma needs to be dealt with, researched, cured and controlled. We'll gladly help because it's an important foundation for an important cause."

Crisitian Rivera Foundation February 2011 Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter February 2011

Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.

Welcome to the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s February newsletter. All of us at the Cristian Rivera Foundation hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day and that you remembered not only the loved ones who are with us on that day, but also those we love who are no longer here. 

Valentine’s Day was always one of Cristian’s favorite holidays. As his father recalled, “I remember when Cristian was at Memorial Sloan Kettering one Valentine’s Day and he wrote out little Valentine’s Day cards for all the nurses. He told each one of them that she was his one and only, and wouldn’t you know that little ladies man got caught. He just played it off with a smile. And he got away with it. That’s something only Cristian could do.” 

To commemorate the day, John released two heart-shaped red balloons up into the sky for him. “They went so high that I lost sight of them,” John said. “I’m sure they reached him up in Heaven.”

Valentine’s Day also played a big part in the successful La Invasion Del Amor show at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, February 12. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit the Cristian Rivera Foundation and we are proud to say we not only raised money for the foundation but also raised awareness, which was our most-important goal. Chart-topping artists Victor Manuelle and Elvis Crespo both wore their Cristian Rivera Foundation wristbands on stage and Cristian Rivera Foundation Committee Member J.I. Starr emceed the show on behalf of hosts La Mega 97.9 FM. Among the near-capacity crowd were celebrity guests like singer Brenda K. Starr and many of our valuable committee members, including model/actress/TV personality Stephanie Carrera, Ralph Mercado III, Solange Osorio, Robert Vazquez, Steve Cox and actor Luis Guzman, who also wore his Cristian Rivera Foundation t-shirt on the red carpet. 

Photos from the concert can be seen under the Gallery tab ofwww.cristianriverafoundation.org, as well as on the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s Facebook page. Please be sure to friend us on Facebook, if you haven’t already, and follow us on Twitter @tweetcrf.

Another concert that raised money for the Cristian Rivera Foundation was November’s 25th Anniversary of Freestyle concert at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. You may remember hearing about that show in past newsletters. We are happy to announce that Vito Bruno, the legendary concert promoter who put on this amazing show, gave the Cristian Rivera Foundation a $6,000 check from the proceeds of the concert. 

Thanks to people like Vito Bruno, and people like you, all of our hard work is surely paying off. This past month, Committee Member Solange Osorio made a special visit with John “Gungie” Rivera to Weill Cornell Medical Center to present Dr. Mark Souweidane with a check for $10,000. The money will help pay for Dr. Souweidane’s clinical trials, which aim to bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver treatment directly to the Pontine Glioma tumor. While she was there, John and Solange got the latest update on Dr. Souweidane’s research. He is having great success in the pre-trials and we are confident in him and his work, which is set to begin in the next few months, after they’ve finished raising money and get final approval. 

We are also looking forward to the Once in a Lifetime Gala, held by The Cure Starts Now on Saturday, March 19 at the Duke Energy Center’s Grand Ballroom in Cincinnati, Ohio. “The Once in a Lifetime Gala offers delicious food, an amazing silent auction, and once in a lifetime experiences offered through our live auction,” The Cure Starts Now said on its website. “This year we will also present our first Hero of the Year award in honor of a person who has made a significant difference in The Cure Starts Now's mission and in these kids' chance at a cure.” John “Gungie” Rivera is one of the 600 people already registered to attend and he will be there representing the Cristian Rivera Foundation. To show our support, the Cristian Rivera Foundation has donated two dinners for four, as well as two-night hotel stays for eight people, for the live auction.

We are proud to support the work of other foundations like The Cure Starts Now because it isn’t important whether the cure comes from us, from them, or from some other part of the world. What’s important is that we find a cure. So please help us fund the important and promising research that will help make Pontine Glioma a thing of the past. Purchase a signature Cristian Rivera Foundation wristband, t-shirt or “On the Right Track” pendant, or make a donation on our website, www.cristianriverafoundation.org, where you’ll also find news, photos, John’s latest journals and more. Every contribution, great or small, brings us closer to our goal of curing Pontine Glioma permanently.

Thank you and may 2011 be the year we say goodbye to Pontine Glioma.

Sincerely,
John “Gungie” Rivera, “Forever Cristian’s Daddy,” and all of the members of the Cristian Rivera Committee: Alex Garcia, Andy Epstein, Anthony Mason, Aurora Flores, Boy Wonder, David Maldonado, Denise Miranda, DJ Camilo, Dr. Ben Velazquez, Dr. Mary Saleeby, Dr. Bear Walker, Edward Caban, Elis Pacheco, Fernando Ferrer, Funkmaster Flex, Hamlet Peralta, James R. Cotto, Jay Hernandez, Jeff & Valerie Lavino, Jim Jones, Jimmy Rodriguez, J.I. Starr, John “Jellybean” Benitez, Johnny Nuñez, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Joseph Mbeh, Kamar De Los Reyes, Khaliah Ali, Little Louie Vega, Lucho Concepcion, Luis Guzman, Marianela Gonzalez, Marissa Gonzalez, Mark Rosner, Mathew “Mateo” Rajkumar, Melissa Chung, Miriam Colon, Murray Richman, Pablo Diaz, Ralph Mercado III, Ray Wong, Ricardo Cardona, Robert Vazquez, Solange Osorio, Stephanie Carrera, Steve Cox, Tedsmooth, Vic Latino, Victor Martinez and William Pla.

Latin Superstars Support Cristian Rivera Foundation at Lehman Center

Chart-topping artists Victor Manuelle and Elvis Crespo came out to support the Cristian Rivera Foundation at Lehman Center's La Invasion Del Amor on Saturday, February 12, from which a portion of the proceeds were donated to the benefit of the Foundation. Emceed by La Mega's J.I. Starr, a Cristian Rivera Foundation committee member, the concert was non-stop fun and dancing for the crowd of salsa and meringue enthusiasts, with performances from Manuelle and Crespo—who wore their Cristian Rivera Foundation wristbands on stage—as well as N'Klabe, Zon de D'Tambora, Ivan La Voz, and Our Latin Thing, who paid tribute to Fania All Stars. The near-capacity crowd included celebrity guests like singer Brenda K. Starr and some of J.I.'s fellow committee members: model/actress/TV personality Stephanie Carrera, Ralph Mercado III, Solange Osorio, Steve Cox and actor Luis Guzman, who also wore his Cristian Rivera Foundation t-shirt on the red carpet.

La Invasion Del Amor to Benefit The Cristian Rivera Foundation

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 50 Bedford Park Boulevard West in the Bronx, is hosting La Invasion Del Amor on Saturday February 12 at 8pm. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Cristian Rivera Foundation. Salsa singer/songwriter Victor Manuelle, known for Billboard #1 Latin hit "Tengo Ganas," and meringue singer Elvis Crespo, who won the Best Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year from Billboard magazine for his song "Suavamente," are headlining this once-in-a-lifetime event. Supporting these two big-name headliners are Bachata Heightz, N'Klabe, Zon de D'Tambora, Ivan La Voz, and Our Latin Thing, who will pay tribute to Fania All Stars. Tickets cost $55, $65 or $75 and are available now below or by calling (718)960-8833 or visiting www.lehmancenter.org, calling (212)779-2222 or visit the Cristian Rivera Foundation Events Page, or visit any Joyerias Pepe location: 3449 Broadway, NYC, 4162 Broadway, NYC, 1403 St Nicholas Ave, NYC, or 1324 St Nicholas Ave, NYC or call Joyerias Pepe at (212)281-0005.