The Sarah Grace Foundation for Children With Cancer will present “An Evening ofMagic” on Friday, April 10, featuring award-winning magician Will Fern. The benefit fundraiser dinner begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Philodendrum Room at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho.
Fern will perform his brand of high-energy “strolling magic” before dinner, working the room while interacting with guests at their tables. Following dinner, Fern will deliver his primary performance of world-class magic, mind reading and easy-going humor.
“It’s a great night of fun and laughter and community for an important cause,” said Matt Weippert, foundation president. “These fundraising events are crucial in providing the necessary funding for the many programs the foundation offers to children with cancer and their families. All of our programs are provided at no cost to the hospitals and families. We serve them through the generosity of our donors and we are humbly grateful for their contributions.”
The event marks the third edition of “An Evening of Magic,” the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, after hosting a comedy show for its annual event for many years.
Named in honor of Sarah Grace Weippert of Hicksville, the Sarah Grace Foundation is an all-volunteer organization that has been supporting children with cancer and their families in the Long Island and New York City area since 2003.
Sarah Grace Weippert died at age 12 in 2002 after battling an extremely aggressive case of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Sarah Grace was a beautiful, fun loving 11-year-old who had just started to enjoy middle school when she was diagnosed with the disease.
To honor Sara’s memory, her parents, Marissa and Matt Weippert and her brother James, founded their organization.
While Sarah was sick, her parents stayed by her side each day and “were blessed to have an outpouring of community support,” they said. Grateful for the support, they also realized that not every family is as fortunate as they were to have that kind of assistance.
“Our grief, and all Sarah went through, had to stand for something. We decided it meant we had to do all we could to support other children with cancer and their families that were experiencing exactly what we had gone through,” Matt Weippert said. “The foundation is a mission of love for Sarah and a way of honoring and remembering our brave little girl. We drew strength from Sarah’s example throughout her illness and continue to do so as we move forward. Every time a person’s name is spoken, their memory, their life, and their spirit never die, and that is what the foundation represents.”
The foundation provides support to families through programs such as the Escape Hatch, the Bead Program, Gabe’s Chemo Duck and Sarah Grace’s Book Angels.
Source: LI Press
