Concern Foundation

Call to Action from Concern Foundation

2010-12-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Event Nut and everyone of our volunteers who tirelessly voted to help us win the LA Photo Party package a few months ago, we have this awesome new video that was shot at Concern's 23rd Annual Holiday Party at Paramount Studios on December 12th.

We are so fortunate to have had the chance to work with the Event Nut team and to have had this video put together at no cost for Concern. Thank you to everyone who contributed! Check it out...

Women for Cancer Research Cookbook for Sale

2010-11-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

After an incredibly successful first Women's for Concern Luncheon, we have plenty of cookbooks left over for sale. At only $20/each, this is the best deal you'll find on the perfect holiday gift in town.

To check out pictures from the great event, click here

To order, contact our office at info@concernfoundation.org or by calling 310-360-6100.

Conquering Cancer with Team Concern

2010-11-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already that time again? I suppose it doesn't help that I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog, but Team Concern is already in full swing for the 2011 Honda LA Marathon. For the 2nd year in a row, Concern has been named one of 60 official charities as part of the LAM and we have every intention of making a statement on the course in March.

Now that the marathon is officially a "sold-out" race, our 50 coveted spots for Team Concern are sure to go fast. Who's ready to Conquer Cancer one Mile at a Time? :-)

I'll be posting all of our exciting updates for the 2011 race in the next few days, but if you are just jumping out of your seat at a chance to be part of this awesome team and this even more awesome endeavor, register today!

To register to be part of Team Concern, to make a donation to one of our participants, or to learn more about Concern Foundation's goal to raise $100,000 in the 2011 LA Marathon, visit our official website at http://concern.kintera.org/lamarathon2011.

For questions email me at kathryn@concernfoundation.org

Rosti Tuscan Kitchen for Concern Foundation

2010-08-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Join Concern Foundation at Rosti in either the Santa Monica or Encino location on August 17th as 15% of your total purchase will go straight to cancer research through Concern Foundation!

For questions, please contact us at info@concernfoundation.org or by calling 310-360-6100

Concern's 36th Annual Block Party Fundraiser = Success!

2010-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our 36th Annual Block Party on the back lot of Paramount Studios on Saturday, July 10 brought in a well over ONE MILLION DOLLARS, which will go towards the funding for 48 cancer researchers across America and around the world. The evening honored Jim & Ishita Ganguly-Morrison for their commitment toward finding a cure for cancer.

This year’s circus themed block party has become one of the most exceptional “foodie” events in Los Angeles, brought in 11 new restaurants/caterers and beverage suppliers this year making for a total of 63 stations throughout the venue. Some of the “newbie's” include Grace/BLD, Lemonade, Club Culinaire of French Cuisine, Delphine at the W Hollywood, Eva’s restaurant, Larchmont Grill, Napa Valley Grille, Tavern, Via Alloro/Tanino Ristorante, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Bakelab, Cakified, Gotta have S’more who joined long-time participants such as Akasha, The Grill on the Alley, Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Jazz Grill, Factor’s & The Mark for Events, Bar Hayama/California Sushi Academy, Pink’s Famous Hot Dogs, Ventura Limoncello, Reed’s Ginger Brews, Acadie Crêpes, Cookies for a Koz, La Provence Patisserie, La Cachette Bistro, the Chaya Group, Larsen’s Steakhouse, Fogo de Chao, Lawry’s Catering, Pane e Vino, Rosti Tuscan Kitchen, Samba Brazilian Steakhouse, Casa Torelli Italian Wines, Pasquini, Weaver’s Coffee, TeaZazz Sparkling Teas, Mr. Cecil’s Ribs, Savore Cuisine, Breadbar, Casablanca Restaurant, Joss Cuisine, Someone’s in the Kitchen, Il Cielo, Stockholm Krystal Vodka, Dos Lunas Tequila, Asahi Beer, Platine Bakery, DeLuscious Cookies & Milk, Dandy Don’s Ice Cream, San Genaro Café, Xooro, Se’ La Vi Sweets and The Bistro Garden. Other attractions included massages and manicures from LeSpa at Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles, which was booked throughout the night, digital photos sponsored by Hold the Date Events, and donation stations throughout the party where guests could purchase flashing hearts to wear on their lapels that raised an additional $6,000. Also present at the event was Concern’s community partner; the Save the Tatas Foundation, which has committed $50,000 toward Concern’s support of an upcoming breast cancer researchers. Los Angeles magazine, the event’s media sponsor, brought with them the Cadillac Dealers of Southern California who also showed their support of Concern Foundation with a check for $10,000 and a couple of their 2011 vehicles as well as some designer mannequins representing the opening of the new Santa Monica Place shopping center. Town & Country Event Rentals, Hold The Date Events and John Ferdenzi of John Ben Ventures provided the “streetmosphere” for the evening which included a full size merry-go-round, ferris wheel, palm readers & airbrush tattoos.

Musical entertainment was provided by the stellar Tom Nolan Band and DJ Layne who kept things hopping in the area adjacent to the 70 plus table casino. A tremendous silent auction area and live auction brought in some additional revenue to support the cancer research scientists. Clowns, trapeze artists and circus acts throughout the venue kept the over 3,000 guests entertained all night long. The evening’s MC was once again the fantastic Frank Mottek of KNX Newsradio’s Business Hour.

For more photos, check out our website at http://www.concernfoundation.org/ !

Call it what it is...a CIRCUS!

2010-07-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Concern celebrated July 10th with our 36th Annual Block Party Fundraiser. Netting well over $1 Million raised, where over 95% will go directly to funding cancer research, it was a ~~Circus~~ Block Party we aren't soon to forget.

Here are a handful of photos to illustrate what an incredible night it was. Check back later this week for a full recap and more fabulous photos.

Tom Nolan Band rocks out on the Main Stage

Our streetmosphere entertainment all dressed up in color!

Lawry's Prime Rib...a yearly favorite of our guests!

An aerial shot of our guests on NY Street after the rain had cleared

Guests at the Roulette table trying to win some great casino prizes

Our ferris wheel in Soho as a huge attraction for guests of all ages

Our 2010 Honorees, Jim & Ishita accepting their award

Ha-Has for Ta-tas in Long Beach!

2010-04-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Save the Tatas Foundation has pledged to raise us $50,000.00 in 2010. 100% of this event's proceeds will go back to Save the Tatas Foundation, therefore benefitting Concern Foundation! We appreciate your support!

For questions, please contact Kathryn at the Concern office by email at: kathryn@concernfoundation.org

Run, Concern, Run!

2010-03-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

...Or should it be "raise, Concern, raise!"...? Either or, TEAM CONCERN excelled at both this year at the 25th LA Marathon, from The Stadium to the Sea. A week ago Saturday & Sunday, Team Concern had nearly 80 participants between our 5k and Marathon teams, with almost 100% race completion from our participants. Our true success, though, was in our fundraising efforts, raising over $60,000.00. For our first year as an Official Charity of the LA Marathon, I would say that is far from shabby.

We are so proud of those Team Concern participants who represented us so fabulously in the LA community, who dedicated hours and hours to training, fundraising, and mentally preparing to take on this lofty challenge. We hope to have each and every Team Concern participant from 2010 back in 2011 to raise even more funds. This year's fundraising will ensure another cancer researcher's salary for a whole entire year.

Our Cheer Zone on the marathon course, in Beverly Hills at the corner of Wilshire and Bedford Dr. was another huge success. Our very own Heidi Allyce sang with all her might to encourage the 25,000 participants that passed the Concern cheer zone on March 21st. Special thanks to Rio Hondo Police Academy Extended Class #8, Starbucks Coffee, La Pain Quotidien, Carroll & Co., AV Masters, Steve & Debbie Ullman, Bob & Lorene Goldman, Le Spa at the Sofitel Hotel LA, Save the Ta-tas for sponsoring the event and helping to make our cheer zone such a phenomenal success. A special thanks to Lisi Teller for coordinating our volunteers, sponsors, decor and entertainment. We could not have made it through the day without you!

A Little Muddled Blackberries with your Vodka, Perhaps?

2010-02-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here is the much anticipated "updated" on the Fraiche Fundraiser mentioned in our last post. This press release has been put on the wire and with hope will have some media coverage for the event!

FRAICHE RESTAURANT SANTA MONICA CREATES SPECIAL COCKTAIL FUNDRAISER FOR CONCERN FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH/LA MARATHON ON THURSDAY, FEB 25 FROM 5:30PM ON....

On February 25, Olivia Fox, the 22-year-old model/actress who suffered devastating leg/bone cancer last year, will host, along with her father Keith, owner of Fraiche Santa Monica, a Cocktail Fundraiser to raise money for the Concern Foundation for Cancer Research/LA Marathon. In celebration of her miraculous recovery, Olivia will walk the LA Marathon 5K on March 20 (the day before the big race) to raise money for Concern and cancer research and to bring attention to the devastation Cancer causes.

To make this truly "healing" cocktail, Keith Fox brought in mixologist Ryan Quintana to create a signature cocktail called "OLIVIA'S CRUSH", which contains life enhancing ingredients including Organic Blackberries, Acai, House-made Ginger Syrup, Reishi, Mint, Vodka and Prosecco. Olivia and her dear friend actor Kevin Connolly, star of Entourage, will be "bartending" throughout the evening.

Fraiche will begin serving "Olivia's Crush" at 5:30pm throughout the evening. The cocktail will sell for $20, all of which goes directly to the Concern Foundation/LA Marathon fund. Fraiche has set up a comfortable new lounge and a DJ will play throughout the evening. People can stay, drink the healing cocktail, listen to cool music and feel good about raising money for Cancer research. The restaurant will also be serving its regular dinner menu during the evening for people who wish to stay for dinner.

Fraiche opened its first restaurant in Culver City in 1997 winning best new restaurant of the year from Angeleno and Los Angeles Magazine and was named one of the '10 Best New Restaurants" in the country by New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni. The Santa Monica team carries on in the same tradition of Tuscan osterias where simple, rustic dishes are crafted from ingredients obtained at local Village markets. To find out more about Fraiche restaurants visit their website at http://www.fraicherestaurantla.com/

For more information on the "Olivia's Crush" event, visit the Fraiche website or call the restaurant directly at 310.451.7482.

Team Concern & Olivia Fox!

2010-01-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Happy New Year! We are just 9 short weeks from the big race. Training seems to be going well for all of our runners, and tomorrow we will be running 18 miles with the Roadrunners down in Venice.

I'd like to highlight our newest team member, Miss Olivia Fox. She is without a doubt one of the most inspirational humans I've met in my short but fulfilled life. Olivia is a 22 year old model, socialite and osteosarcoma survivor.

Introduced through a family friend, Olivia came to me about a year ago. Having just completed over 50 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 inches of bone removed from her right leg, we met at her father's restaurant in Santa Monica, Fraiche. Olivia was nearly immobile and had very little hair. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and not because she was the anomaly...but because regardless of her aesthetic deviance, she was still the most gorgeous person in the restaurant. Her glow illuminated how badly she wanted to share her story.

2009 was not an easy year for Olivia. Between recovering emotionally and coming to terms with how her life had suddenly turned, she has had to adjust to the 15 inches of metal now in her right leg as bone replacement. The year ended for Olivia with a follow up surgery to shave part of her right patella and a phone call to me; she was finally ready to use her story to create awareness and raise funds for Concern Foundation.

Olivia is now the newest member of Team Concern. Although she is still in an incredible amount of pain, she has every intention of crossing the finish line of the 5k on March 20th as the warm-up race for the LA Marathon. Training on a daily basis by walking on the treadmill, swimming and using a stationary bike, nothing can stop this girl now.

I have never been humbled by an individual the way Olivia has affected me. She is now prepared to share her story with the public and is proud to attach her name to Concern as the beneficiary of her testimony. Below is a Call-to-Action Olivia and I prepared to attach to her fundraising website as she sets out to reach a $5,000.00 fundraising goal over the next 2 months. We are so proud to have her as part of our team!

If you would like to support Team Concern and Olivia, please visit: http://concern.kintera.org/lamarathon2010.

On February 25th we will be celebrating Olivia & Team Concern's training progress for the LA Marathon and 5k at Fraiche Restaurant Santa Monica. We hope you will join us for a few celebrity sightings and specialty drink with 100% of the proceeds coming back to Concern Foundation. Check back for more details soon!

21 Years of Holiday Celebration!

2009-12-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

For Concern Foundation's 21st consecutive year, we celebrated the holidays Hollywood style at Paramount Pictures with over 500 guests, including pediatric cancer patients and their entire families. Included in the day was a private screening of Kung Fu Panda, food donated by Factor's Famous Deli and Krispy Kreme, the renowned Cartier Santa Claus, toys and presents for every child in attendance, dancing, crafts and SO much more.

As always, it was a holiday party to be remembered. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who helped to execute this great event along with Paramount Studios for donating their facility, Town & Country Rentals and John Ben Ferdenzi for their generosity, and all of our donors who helped to underwrite this great event for all of these appreciate people.

More photos will be posted on our website this week!

Devil's Bash Benefitting Concern Foundation

2009-10-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do this Halloween in a city with too many options and nothing separating one event from the next?

SFG Events Presents: Devil's Bash at the Cooper Building, an event just like any other...but this one is supporting Concern Foundation and Concern 2 for Cancer Research.

For every ticket sold, a portion is given to Concern. Consider Concern when making your decision on where to party this Halloween!

Click Here to purchase your tickets...

Questions? Contact Concern Foundation at info@concernfoundation.org

Conquer Cancer One Mile at a Time

2009-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

No one is more excited than Concern is to have our LA Marathon participant brochure all complete. Phew! We are in the midst of having them printed so hopefully in the coming weeks you will see these all over town. For now, here is a digital copy.

If you have any questions, dont hesitate to contact the Concern office. We love your support!

Official Charity of the 25th LA Marathon = Concern Foundation

2009-10-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

For the first time in Concern Foundation's 41 year history, we have been chosen as an Official Charity of the Los Angeles Marathon. Woo Hoo! Whether you are a runner, walker or cheerleader, we need you!

If you are interested in joining our team and running the full 26.2 mile marathon or the 5k, we have a training program through the LA Roadrunners, a reachable fundraising commitment and a team of motivated and inspired runners and walkers that you just HAVE to meet.

If you need an extra push to get you on board, or just want to get even more jazzed about the big day watch this amazing video:

Now that you are inspired, fill out this form and email it to kathryn@concernfoundation.org. Thanks :)

A Great "Day for the Kids"

2009-10-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

With sincere thanks to Universal, Concern took 250 pediatric cancer patients and their guests to Universal Studios theme park at no cost yesterday for the 21st year in a row. Along with our guests, over 50 volunteers gave up part of their weekend and Sunday football to chaperone these brave 8-14 year-old children throughout the park. Yet with entrance to the theme park, a private Studio Tour tram ride, a catered lunch in the Globe Theater and a non-stop day of fun, volunteering for this day is worth more than any average Sunday.

We could not be more thankful to have the opportunity to organize this day and create hope for these kids. Check out a few pictures below to get the full effect of how awe-inspiring this day actually was:

Volunteers coordinated their groups early in the day

Jaws swam by to say Hello on our Private Studio Tour

Van Helsing Group posing with the stars of Access Hollywood!

Globe Theater all set up for Concern and the kids

Dora and Diego joined us for lunch

A few of our volunteers with one of our awesome kids!

Kids and volunteers soaked on Jurassic Park

Beetlejuice made a special appearance in honor of Halloween!

One of the kids favorite areas of Universal...

King Kong group having fun around the Theme Park

A Shot of the whole group in front of the Globe Theater!

If you're interested in getting involved with events like this, we'd love to hear from you!
Email us at: info@concernfoundation.org