15TH ANNUAL CELEBRITY CHEF NIGHT RAISES MORE THAN $150K FOR KIDS WITH CANCER
The 15th Annual Rumrunners Celebrity Chef Night held on Aug. 15th was a success, raising more than $150,000 for Barbara’s Friends – Golisano Children’s Hospital Cancer Fund. Since 2003, the Celebrity Chef Night event has raised nearly $1.5 million to support the advancement of programs and lifesaving care for children receiving cancer care at Golisano.
The culinary event at Rumrunners in Cape Coral featured a Give-to-Give cash call, live and silent auctions, a champagne toast with the prize of a custom-designed necklace by award-winning Mark Loren Designs. There were cocktails and fine culinary creations by Southwest Florida celebrity chefs Chef Todd Johnson and Chef Ralph Centalonza from Rumrunners at Cape Harbour, Chef Harold Balink of Harold’s, Chef Andy Hunter of The Clawbar, Chef Bob Boye from Cru, and Chef Norman Love from Norman Love Confections. The highly anticipated auctions raise more than one-third of dollars raised each year. This year guests who could not attend arranged to bid over phone lines. One donor contributed $16K, supporting the mission from a distance.
Special thanks to this year’s major sponsors: Century 21 Sunbelt, Truline, Jason’s Deli, HCCS, Physicians Primary Care of Southwest Florida, Siesta Pebble, Scanlon Auto Group, Texas Roadhouse, Boater’s Landing, Cat Country 107.1, and Epic.
Established in 1995, Barbara’s Friends provides equipment, staffing and services to support lifesaving cancer care for children from across southwest Florida at Golisano Children’s Hospital. The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program is the only program of its kind in Southwest Florida. No child is denied treatment or turned away as a result of their family’s inability to pay for care. For more information about Barbara’s Friends and supporting child patients in your community, please call Lee Health Foundation at (239) 343-6950 or visit BarbarasFriends.org.
ABOUT LEE HEALTH FOUNDATION
Lee Health Foundation raises philanthropic dollars on behalf of Lee Health. Lee Health Hospitals include Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital, and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
The Foundation provides financial support for many service areas. These include the Regional Cancer Center, Lee Health – Coconut Point, The Rehabilitation Hospital, Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, Community Health Clinics and Golisano Children’s Hospital Specialty Clinics in both Charlotte and Naples.
Lee Health Foundation has distributed more than $76 million in the last two years to support its lifesaving mission. Please visit LeeHealthFoundation.org or call (239) 343-6950 for more information about the role of Lee Health philanthropy in Southwest Florida.
