Crisitian Rivera Foundation April 2011 Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter April 2011

Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.

Welcome to the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s April Newsletter. Spring is finally here and we can honestly say the Cristian Rivera Foundation is blooming. Our committee has grown to include five new members this month and we are proud to welcome these special and caring individuals to the Foundation family.

Kenan Thompson is an accomplished actor and current cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. He has had many memorable roles on television and in film, including the title role in Fat Albert, a recurring part on The Steve Harvey Show and a starring role on Nickelodeon’s Kenan and Kel, as well as the film Good Burger.

Odalys Molina is a reporter on Telemundo 47,serving as co-host of the entertainment show “Acceso Total.” The Cuban native has received various honors throughout her accomplished career, including an official proclamation of the City of New York from former Governor George E. Pataki and four awards from ACE, a cultural and literary institution that recognizes excellence among Hispanic artists in film, television and the arts.

Aldo Marin is a music producer and co-founder of independent record label Cutting Records. In its 26 years, Cutting Records has spotlighted some of the top names in Latin, dance, urban and freestyle music, including Corina, Safire, Coro and Grammy-nominated group Fulanito. Marin got his start as a DJ, winning the Battle of the DJ’s for the original WKTU 92-FM, and has served on the NARAS Latin Advisory Committee New York Chapter and NARAS Board of Governors New York Chapter.

Katie DeFlorio is the art director for high-end interior design and decorating firm Lillian August, which has offices in Connecticut, New York and Los Angeles, California. She works under the vice president of marketing and handles all of the company’s advertising, web and social media activities, and other design-related functions. DeFlorio joined the company soon after earning her degree in advertising art direction from New York’s Pratt Institute and has been there for six years.

Fulvia Lora is a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business at William Paterson University, where she earned her degree is business administration and marketing. Lora is also the aunt of Javier “Buji” Villamil, who passed away from DIPG in January 2010. 

We are glad to have these five accomplished individuals join us in the fight against Pontine Glioma. You can also help by joining us for the 4th Annual Walk for Health Walk-a-Thon PONTE-EN-FORMA at Roberto Clemente State Park, located at West Tremont Avenue and Mattewson Road in the Bronx, on Sunday April 17th, 2011 from 10am-2pm. Organizers have chosen pediatric brain stem tumors as one of its areas of focus, with the proceeds benefiting The Cristian Rivera Foundation.

To get involved, visit www.cristianriverafoundation.org/events.html and register to walk. There are many different registration packages available start at $10 and go all the way to a $100 package, which includes two signature Cristian Rivera Foundation wristbands, two signature Cristian Rivera Foundation T-Shirts and two gift cards to nearby restaurants Havana Cafe or the Hudson River Café. Of course there are many packages in between and you don’t have to finish the full five-mile walk-a-thon to make your donation count. In fact, you can make a donation even if you don’t intend to walk. Please encourage your friends to walk or donate. Any donation, big or small, helps bring us closer to our goal of curing Pontine Glioma forever.

Be sure to visit our website, www.cristianriverafoundation.org, frequently for all of the latest updates. Also visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/?tid=1613593259224&sk=messages#!/pages/Cristian-Rivera-Foundation/176323675727785, join our official Facebook Group www.facebook.com/?tid=1613593259224&sk=messages#!/home.php?sk=group_143143255734418 and follow us on Twitter @tweetcrf.

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

Sincerely,

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