The Fundraising Event Benefiting the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Lung Cancer Foundation of America will feature an Evening of Delicious Food, Great Cocktails, Fabulous Music and an Extravagant Silent Auction
NEW YORK, NY (April 23, 2015) – It is time to put on the gloves and knockout cancer at the 2nd Annual Purple and White Fight Night fundraising event held on Saturday, May 16 from 8:00 pm – 11:00 p.m. at one of Gotham’s hottest nightclubs, Up & Down. The charity event benefits the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. Highlights of the evening will include an elaborate silent auction and raffle with luxury items, a DJ spinning the hottest tunes, tasty hors d’oeuvres and specialty cocktails, a variety of pop-up shops and more.
Packing a 1-2 punch, the term fight in Purple & White Fight Night represents a tenacious drive to fight back against cancer, a disease that has forever changed the lives of co-hosts, 27-year-old, Ashley Janover and 26-year-old, Danyelle Shapiro. The event is held in memory of Janover’s mother who lost her battle to pancreatic cancer at age 54 and Shapiro’s father who lost his life to lung cancer at age 41. The impact that cancer made in their lives and the grim survival statistics for both types of cancers motivated the young, professional co-hosts to bring awareness and the fight to find a cure.
Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. It has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnosis and only 6% will survive more than five years. 74% of patients die within the first year of diagnosis.
Lung cancer takes the lives of 160,000 people in the United States yearly. 1 in 14 people (smokers and non-smokers) will develop lung cancer in their lifetime and it kills more than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.
In its inaugural year – in 2014 – Purple & White Fight Night raised an amazing $20,000 and attracted more than 200 people to the fundraising event. In total, the fundraising duo has raised more than $75,000 for pancreatic cancer research since 2011 and nearly $9,000 for Lung Cancer. The fundraiser expects an even larger turnout than last year. Vendors hosting pop-up shops will also be donating a portion of their proceeds to each charity.
Some of the featured premium silent auction packages include: a Private Italian Villa Getaway in Naples for 12 people provided by Grandstand Auction; a 2016 Grammy’s VIP Package; Wine Country 4-day Getaway to the 4-diamond Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa including airfare; entertainment memorabilia including Derek Jeter signed official NY Yankees Game Modell Jersey and The Beatles “Fab Four” Vintage Photo. Raffle prizes include: 2 Night Stay in Turks & Caicos courtesy of the Gansevoort Hotel; New York Knicks tickets during the 2015 – 2016 basketball season; wine tasting flight & winery tour for four from City Winery; a 5-pack of SoulCycle classes and much more.
Admission is $50. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Eventbrite.com (keyword search: 2nd Annual Purple & White Fight Night). Guests must be at least 21-years-old to attend. Online ticket sales close on May 16 or while tickets supply last. Guests will receive a complimentary raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased at the event for $5 or $10 for premium items. Donations are also accepted for those who are unable to attend.
Follow the social media event coverage using the hashtag #battlingback on Instagram or on Facebook’s event page (keyword search: 2nd Annual Purple & White Fight Night).
Up & Down is located at 244 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011 (between Chelsea and the Meatpacking District). All guests are asked to dress in cocktail attire.
ABOUT THE CHARITIES:
Founded in 1997, the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing pancreatic cancer research, and providing information, resources and support to pancreatic cancer patients and their families. Established by Agi Hirshberg, whose husband Ronald died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 54, the foundation includes the Ronald S. Hirshberg Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory; the Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair in Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research; and the Hirshberg Pancreatic Cancer Information Center. In February 2015, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA introduced the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Cancer Diseases made possible by the generous $10 million in gifts to UCLA from Hirshberg. For more information about the Hirshberg Foundation and ongoing events, please visit www.pancreatic.org
The Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA) mission is to dramatically improve survivorship of lung cancer patients through the funding of transformative science, with the ultimate goal of curing the disease. To accomplish this, LCFA will work to raise both the funds and the national profile of lung cancer in order to substantially increase support of innovative and groundbreaking research efforts. For more information, please visit www.lcfamerica.org.
