Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.
Welcome to the Cristian Rivera Foundation November newsletter.
This month started off with an amazing concert produced by Committee Member Vito Bruno. Freestyle Free for All and Friends was held Saturday November 5 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ, with performances from Tiffany, Slick Rick, Stevie B, Vanilla Ice, Cover Girls, Rockell, Noel, Lisa Lisa, Corina and Judy Torres. The show also featured three former members of TKA appearing on stage together for the first time in more than a decade to perform hits like "One Way Love," "Scars of Love" and "Maria." Vito included the Cristian Rivera Foundation in all of the advertising for the concert, showing a great example of how a committee member can take what he or she already does and use it to spread the word about the foundation.
Three of Vito's fellow committee members also had reason to celebrate this month. Carlos Keyes and John "Jellybean" Benitez both celebrated their birthdays, and we'd like to send out warmest birthday wishes to both of them. Kenan Thompson, who many of you got to see as one of the hosts at this year's Third Annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Gala, also deserves our congratulations as he and his fiancée Christina Evangeline were married on Friday, November 11, 2011. 11/11/11 only comes around once in a millennium and The Cristian Rivera Foundation wishes them as many years, and more, of happiness.
As we celebrate the achievements of our esteemed committee members, we are happy to announce that three brand new committee members have joined their ranks:
Carlos Colon is the founder of X-Interactive Media, a startup company that specializes in developing custom applications. He has developed software for MindSpark and designed branding and identity campaigns for major events at venues such as the Madison Square Garden, the Las Vegas Hilton, Jones Beach and Lincoln Center. He designed
www.cristian-rivera.com and had an integral part in the creation of the Cristian Rivera Foundation's official website as well.
Dolores Catania currently works in the medical field and has made numerous guest appearances on Bravo TV's blockbuster hit, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." She serves on the Board of Directors for St. Joseph's Hospital and is a Founding Board Member of Project Ladybug, a children's charity that aids the families of those stricken with cancer.
Karen Cerna has been with "The Late Show with David Letterman" for over 12 years. She was hired as a part-time employee in the Audience department and has risen to her current position as the Senior Audience Coordinator for the show. Cerna is a firm believer in the importance of advocating and giving back to the community, which is why she currently sits on the Board of Directors of two non-profit organizations, The Long Beach Latino Civic Association and Sinergia.
We are proud to have Carlos, Dolores and Karen join the Cristian Rivera Foundation family, and we hope that all of you will join us on Saturday December 3 for the first-ever Cristian Rivera Foundation Paintball Fundraiser at NYC Paintball, located at 47-11 Van Dam Street in Long Island City. Committee Member Robert Vazquez organized the event, where 15 five-person teams will face off, all with the common goal of curing DIPG. The event runs from 8am to 12pm and costs $75 per person ($375 per team of five). The cost includes the gun, protective equipment, facilities and unlimited paintballs, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Cristian Rivera Foundation. Please visit
http://cristianriverafoundation.org/events.html or call 212-779-2222 to sign up.
While you are on our website, be sure to visit the Shop tab where you'll find great Cristian Rivera Foundation merchandise to put on your holiday wish list. Choose from three types of Cristian Rivera Foundation t-shirts, two Cristian Rivera Foundation wristbands in Cristian's favorite color blue, and our new bracelets inspired by Cristian's Mommy Jenelle Asencio. Each brown beaded bracelet features the Cristian Rivera Foundation logo in your choice of a bronze or silver charm. The bracelet was already seen on the wrist ofNew York Yankee greats Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia, as well as celebrity chefs Ricardo Cardona and Alex Garcia, Hot 97's Angie Martinez, and Danielle Staub of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Visit
http://cristianriverafoundation.org/shop.html to order yours today.
As we approach the holiday season, it's important to remember those who are less fortunate and need our help. Approximately 200 children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 9 received a diagnosis of DIPG this year. With your help and support, the Cristian Rivera Foundation can make sure this is not the last Thanksgiving or Christmas they get to spend with their families. Happy holidays and full steam ahead!
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, Camilo, Carlos Colon, Carlos Keyes, Dr. Bear Walker, Dr. Ben Velazquez, Dolores Catania, Doug E. Fresh, Edward Caban, Elis Pacheco, Fernando Ferrer, Fulvia Lora, Funkmaster Flex, Hamlet Peralta, Jay Hernandez, Jeff Lavino, Jerry Chaparro, Jerry Salerno, J.I. Starr, Jim Jones, John “Jelly Bean” Benitez, Johnny Nuñez, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Joseph Mbeh, Kamar De Los Reyes, Karen Cerna, Katie DeFlorio, Kenan Thompson, Khaliah Ali, Little Louie Vega, Luis Guzman, Manuel Alejandro Ruiz (Boy Wonder), Mark Rosner, Matthew “Mateo” Rajkumar, Melissa Chung, Miriam Colon, Murray Richman, Odalys Molina, Pablo Diaz, Ralph Mercado III, Ramon E. Javier, Ray Wong, Ricardo Cardona, Rickie Ricardo, Robert Vazquez, Ruben Sierra, Solange Osorio, Steve Cox, Tedsmooth, Tony Ferrara, Victor Martinez, Vito Bruno, William Padilla and William Pla.
