Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Tickets for the Third Annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Gala Are Going Fast!!!



Show your support for the Cristian Rivera Foundation by attending the Third Annual Crisitian Rivera Foundation Gala on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 6pm to 10pm at the Copacabana Supper Club- located in Times Square at 268 W. 47th St. between Broadway and 8th Avenue. 

The Gala will be hosted by Saturday Night Live and Nickelodeon Star and Cristian Rivera Foundation Committee Member Kenan Thompson and award winning actor Luis Guzmán.

There will be red carpet arrivals for our esteemed committee members and high-profile guests.  A cocktail hour, followed by dinner with unlimited food and drinks provided by some of New York’s finest restaurants as well as a live and silent auction.Cocktail attire required.

For more developments on the Third Annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Gala, including additional hosts, entertainment and live and silent auction items, please continue to check this event, as it will be updated often.
JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CRISTIAN RIVERA AND IN OUR QUEST TO FIND A CURE FOR DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG).

Your attendance will mean the world to the Cristian Rivera Foundation and will help save the lives of children suffering from Pontine Glioma.


All proceeds from your ticket purchase go toward finding a cure for Pontine Glioma.
Click here to buy your ticket today.



Thursday, August 18, 2011

Cristian Rivera Foundation August 2011 Newsletter



Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.
August is here and for the Cristian Rivera Foundation, that means there’s only one month to go until our Third Annual Gala.

Tickets are selling fast for what’s sure to be a star-studded event on Monday September 12 at the newly-relaunched Copacabana Supper Club and Event Space. Join our friends, family and esteemed committee members as we celebrate the life of Cristian Rivera and raise money for the important research that will one day develop a cure for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). Hosted by Cristian Rivera Foundation Committee Members, Saturday Night Live and Nickelodeon star Kenan Thompson and award-winning actor Luis Guzmán, the Third Annual Gala kicks off at 6pm with red carpet arrivals for our committee members and honored guests, followed by a cocktail hour and sit-down dinner catered by some of New York’s top restaurants. Among the many exciting happenings, you will also get the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind items and experiences in our live and silent auctions, including private dinners catered by Celebrity Chefs Ricardo Cardona and Alex Garcia, and an autographed photo of boxing legend Muhammad Ali carrying the Olympic torch, along with many other items.

For more information on the event, and to purchase tickets, visit
www.cristianriverafoundation.org/events.html. Even if you are unable to attend, any donation big or small is a much-appreciated step toward our goal of curing Pontine Glioma forever.

Many of you did come out in support of the Cristian Rivera Foundation last month as we held our Second Annual Mini-Fundraiser at The Bronx’s Latin Kitchen on Thursday, July 14. We’d like to thank everyone who made the event an amazing success, including Committee Members Robert Vazquez and DJ Lucho, who sponsored the event. Committee members Steve Cox, Fulvia Lora, and Solange Osorio were on hand to help produce the event and committee members Tedsmooth and DJ Wreck kept the crowd dancing all night long.

The Cristian Rivera Foundation was also featured at last month’s Latin Mixx Conference & Latin Mixx Awards 2011. The event, held July 19-21, included an award show held at The Stage at The Times Center in New York, where we educated attendees about the horrors of DIPG. John “Gungie” Rivera, the founder of the Cristian Rivera Foundation, was there to honor the nominees as well as give a speech about the loss of his beloved son and how he began the foundation. He also touched on the positive progress being made towards making Pontine Glioma history. In addition, one of our esteemed committee members, Little Louie Vega, was honored at the three-day conference. The Latin Mixx Icon Award reception for DJ Little Louie Vega was held at Cielo. Little Louie received the DJ Icon Award surrounded by friends, family and fans all happy to celebrate his impact on the Latino community. Congratulations, Little Louie. You deserve it.

Cristian Rivera Foundation committee memberLittle Louie Vega, and all of our esteemed committee members, can celebrate the addition of a new member to our Cristian Rivera Foundation team: former Major League Baseball All-Star Ruben Sierra. The celebrated Puerto Rican-born outfielder has played for many of the league’s top teams during his accomplished career, including the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees.
Another significant player in the effort to rid this world of the effects of Pontine Glioma is Cristian’s mommy, Jenelle. Titled “Mommy’s Journal,” Jenelle introduces herself and explains her own fight against DIPG and the great pain that it causes. She goes into detail about how she is helping to support the cause of this foundation by going back to school to become a nurse, so that she can help ensure that no other family has to deal with this immense amount of grief. Despite the loss of her boy and the emotional rollercoaster heaved upon the family, Jenelle says, “Don’t feel sorry for us, help us”. Jenelle addresses how she and Cristian’s father may have dealt with the loss in different ways, but that they are both extremely involved in the cause and are working toward finding a cure for DIPG. To read her journal, please visit the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s website and click on “Mommy,” found under the Journal tab. It is obvious that Cristian’s life not only touched his mommy and daddy but will now touch millions. 

Please help us in our quest for a cure by logging on to
www.cristianriverafoundation.org, where you can find all the latest news, photos and videos, and follow us both on Twitter @tweetcrf and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cristianriverafoundation. Please let your Facebook friends and Twitter followers know about the Cristian Rivera Foundation. Mention us on your social networking page and direct others to our website, where they can make a donation or purchase a signature foundation wristband, T-shirt or “On The Right Track” pendant from Joan Hornig Jewelry. And of course, make sure to purchase your tickets to the Third Annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Gala on Monday September 12 at Copacabana.

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

Sincerely,

Cristian's Mommy Jenelle Asencio, 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, Carlos Keyes, David Maldonado, DJ Camilo, Dr. Bear Walker, Dr. Ben Velazquez, Dr. Mary Saleeby, Doug E. Fresh, Edward Caban, Elis Pacheco, Fernando Ferrer, Fulvia Lora, Funkmaster Flex, Hamlet Peralta, James R. Cotto, Jay Hernandez, Jeff Lavino, Jeninha Lopes, Jerry Chaparro, J.I. Starr, Jim Jones, Jimmy Rodriguez, John “Jelly Bean” Benitez, Johnny Nuñez, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Joseph Mbeh, Kamar De Los Reyes, Katie DeFlorio, Kenan Thompson, Kenya Bradix, Khaliah Ali, Little Louie Vega, Luis 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, Ruben Sierra, Solange Osorio, Steve Cox, Tedsmooth, Tony Ferrara, Vic Latino, Victor Martinez, Vito Bruno and William Pla.