Lovers of Broadway entertainment won’t have to travel to the Great White Way for some showstopping tunes this month, as Jim Schubin and Danielle Porcellini will be performing at Piccola Bussola in Mineola on March 7.
The event is part of Wine Tasting and Broadway Tunes, a fundraising event benefiting the Carly Rose Foundation. Event proceeds will enable the nonprofit to continue its mission of helping families of children with life-threatening illnesses.
“Every dollar we raise goes toward families that have children with cancer or life threatening illness,” said Lisa Horner, founder of The Carly Rose Foundation.
The foundation was started in honor of Horner’s daughter, Carly Rose, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2003, at the age of 7. She beat cancer after many chemotherapy sessions and blood and platelet transfusions, but relapsed again at the age of 12. She fought and beat cancer for the second time, and the Horner family decided to make something good come out of the ordeal.
Armed with a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to face cancer, the foundation now helps provide financial assistance to families with children who have life threatening illnesses. Sometimes that means paying for hospital bills, other times it’s providing financial help to pay for household expenses. Every other week, the foundation delivers care packages filled with healthy snacks to young patients, in addition to holding regular blood drives and biannual toy drives for Cohen Children’s Medical Center. One of its biggest events is a Christmas in July party, where patients and families from Cohen’s Pediatric Hematology/Oncology unit enjoy a visit from Santa, who gives out gifts to the patients and their siblings. Toy drives, which run through Amazon, have been so popular, the foundation has been able to create birthday lists as well, to give gifts to patients and their siblings.
The Wine Tasting and Broadway Tunes event marks the Carly Rose Foundation’s first with nonprofit status, something that Horner is especially excited about.
“This could really help us help even more families,” Horner said. “When you have a 501c3 status, people give more. We’re helping a few families right now but we want to expand to other children’s hospitals.”
Wine Tasting and Broadway Tunes is sponsored by Warriors for a Cause, a group of about 40 people and professionals that “came together to see if we can do good in the world,” said Tony Lubrano, Piccola Bussola owner, who started Warriors for a Cause in 2015. The group, which is looking into nonprofit status, has raised more than $1 million to support organizations including the Michael Magro Foundation, EPIC Long Island, the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation, among others.
One of its biggest events of the year for Warriors for a Cause is Night on the Town, which this year takes place on April 6. Last year’s fundraiser raised $137,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), this year, Lubrano is hoping to break $150,000 for the cause.
Horner is a member of Warriors for a Cause and Lubrano said the group wanted to hold a fundraiser for the nonprofit because “she’s a very giving person.”
“We want to support people who are doing good stuff and try to support causes dear to our members,” Lubrano said. “We like to support smaller organizations because it’s in their heart. Almost all the money is going straight to the cause, they keep a tight leash on where the money is going.”
In addition to performances from professional singers/actors Schubin and Porcellini, guests will be able to enjoy a buffet dinner and wine tasting, as well as try their luck with the raffles. Tickets are $40 per person. For more information visit www.carlyrose.org.
