Monthly Newsletter December 2011
Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.
The holiday season is officially upon us and at this festive time of year, when asked what The Cristian Rivera Foundation's holiday wish is, founder John "Gungie" Rivera said "to cure DIPG once and for all." We are blessed with so many amazing supporters who share our passion for helping the 200 children who face a deadly DIPG tumor each year, and share our resolve that our wish will come true in our lifetime.
We are proud to have a new Committee Member come on board this month to help us make our dream a reality in 2012. Welcome aboard, Jaison Newring.
Jaison Newring is the Vice President of NYC Tastemakers, where he runs the company's nightclub division. Newring has brought his unique touch to nightlife events at some of the city's top hotspots, including Duvet, LQ and China Club. Newring is also the author of weekly music blog Waking Up Dreaming, which focuses on videos and content from emerging artists.
How can you help make this holiday miracle come true for young children and their families across the country?
Get Involved: The Cristian Rivera Foundation holds many fundraiser events throughout the year, including concerts, walk-athons and an annual gala. The first annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Paintball Tournament was held on Saturday, December 3, at NYC Paintball, 47-11 Van Dam Street in Long Island City , from 8am to 12 noon. We'd like to thank everyone who attended and congratulate the winners, Team AVS. 100% of the proceeds from the first annual Paintball Tournament went to the Cristian Rivera Foundation. Special thanks must go to Committee Member Robert Vazquez for organizing the event. Robert is celebrating his birthday this month, along with fellow Committee Members Anthony Mason, Jose Alberto "El Canario," Wiliam Pla, Rickie Ricardo and Elis Pacheco.
If you were unable to attend, you can still make a donation by visiting www.cristianriverafoundation.org and clicking the Donation tab. And please be sure to check our website, as well as our Facebook page www.facebook.com/cristianriverafoundation and our Twitter feed @TweetCRF in the New Year as more fun and exciting events are being planned, all with the goal of raising money toward finding a cure.
Satisfy Your Holiday Shopping List With Cristian Rivera Foundation Merchandise: The Cristian Rivera Foundation's first Merchandise Catalog is now available on our website. Click through to see all of the various items we have for sale, including our signature blue wristband and our new wristband with white lettering, two types of t-shirts, and necklaces and brown beaded bracelets with your choice of a brass or silver charm. Visit www.cristianriverafoundation.org and click the Shop Tab to make a purchase online.
Remember that the Cristian Rivera Foundation is a 501(c)(3) and all donations made to the foundation are tax deductible. Your donations go toward helping DIPG families in need and funding important research and clinic al trials by doctors and medical facilities at the forefront of DIPG research. The Cristian Rivera Foundation donated $100,000 at the Third Annual Gala to Dr. Mark Souweidane, a neurosurgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Director of the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center. Starting in 2012, we will also begin supporting the research of Dr. Oren Becher from the Duke Department of Pediatrics, who has been doing mouse model work and studying tumor tissue to learn more about DIPG tumors. In particular, Dr. Becher is studying Cristian's tumor tissue, donated after he passed away. According to Dr. Becher, Cristian's tumor tissue has been the most helpful in helping scientists learn all there is to know about DIPG tumors.
We received the great news on Thanksgiving that Dr. Souweidane received approval from Memorial Sloan Kettering for his pioneering clinical trial into the innovative use of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) to administer radio immunotherapy. He is well on his way to starting his trial and bringing us ever closer to finding a cure.
Unfortunately, with every piece of good news about developments in DIPG research we must also face the devastating news of lives being taken too soon by this terrible disease. With great sadness, the Cristian Rivera Foundation announced that Heaven gained another DIPG Angel on Thursday November 17. Jordan Malave passed away at 6:30 that Thursday morning, bringing to an end his three-year battle with DIPG. He fought for an exceptionally long time and showed incredible bravery and strength in the face of this dreadful disease. John "Gungie" Rivera and the entire Cristian Rivera Foundation extend their sincerest condolences to Jordan 's parents, Leeana Castro and Jayson Malave, and his entire family.
The Cristian Rivera Foundation started a DIPG Angels page on our website, http://cristianriverafoundation.org/dipgka.html, to honor all of the children whose lives have been lost to DIPG. We sent out an email to the Yahoo and Google DIPG groups inviting parents to participate in the page as a tribute to their child who fought so hard and so bravely. The Cristian Rivera Foundation’s DIPG Angels page features photos of the children, which link back to their individual CaringBridge or foundation page. Any DIPG parents who would like their child included on this page can email John “Gungie” Rivera at gungie@cristianriverafoundation.org.
With every beautiful child who passes away, we are reminded how horrible DIPG is and why it needs to be cured within our lifetime. So this holiday season, think of the Cristian Rivera Foundation, Jordan Malave, all of the DIPG Angels who suffered so needlessly at such a young age, and all of the children and families fighting every day to beat this terrible monster. Share your family's blessings with those in need by purchasing Cristian Rivera Foundation merchandise or making a donation at our website,www.cristianriverafoundation.org, or by mail via check made out to The Cristian Rivera Foundation.
Please note that our address has changed and mail all correspondences to:The Cristian Rivera Foundation
40 West 37th Street, Suite 402
New York, NY 10018
Our phone number remains the same at 212-779-2222.
We want to take this time to thank each and every member of the Cristian Rivera Foundation family for your love and dedication to this incredible cause. We wish you and your family only the best this holiday season and look forward to your continued support in 2012.
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, Carlos R. Colon, Dolores Catania, Doug E. Fresh, Edward Caban, Elis Pacheco, Fernando Ferrer, Fulvia Lora, Funkmaster Flex, Hamlet Peralta, Jaison Newring, 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.
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