Eyeland of St. Johns sponsored Rory fundraiser
Nikki Earich, owner of Eyeland of St. Johns, became involved with the eyeglass business because her father was an optometrist and needed a high-end eyeglass supplier. Over the years, her business grew from one store to twelve stores. Each store identifies itself with, and works for, a particular charity. “When it came time for us to decide on our charity, it was an easy decision,” said Nikki. “The Rory David Deutsch Foundation.” Nikki decided to pursue her support in a big way. The fundraiser, “An Evening of Artwork and Eyewear,” held on February 19, was an open house that featured original artwork by Susie and Mitch Levin of High Voltage Studio, a Trunk Show featuring electrifying eyewear from Lafont, and refreshments. A portion of all sales from the evening was donated to The Foundation. The open house was so successful, that Nikki decided to extend the fund-raising period for another six weeks. Again, for that extended period, a portion of all sales went to The Rory David Deutsch Foundation. As a result, Eyeland of St. Johns graciously wrote The Foundation a check for $3,200.
Campus Colors continued its March Madness
For the fourth year in a row, Campus Colors ran a full court press for The Rory David Deutsch Foundation with its annual “March Madness” raffle. The prize is a legendary piece of basketball history: a North Carolina jersey autographed by number 23 himself, Michael Jordan. Anyone who made a purchase of $50 or more at any of the four Campus Color stores was automatically entered into the contest. Raffle tickets were also available for purchase to those who wanted to try their luck and make a contribution to The Foundation. “When the raffle is over, Ross always comes down to the store with the boys,” said Barbara Rubenstein, who owns and operates the Campus Colors stores with her husband Neil. “Rickey usually picks the winner, and then Robbie calls the lucky individual.” Geena Zaslavski purchased the winning ticket from the Highland Park Store this year. At the conclusion of the raffle, Barbara and Neil presented The Foundation with a check for $5,000.
With Rory wristbands that read “Brighter Tomorrows”, Barbara discovered another way to help The Foundation on a continual basis. “We put the bands on the front counter with a sign that read ‘available for a donation,’ and we decided not to take less than a dollar,” Barbara explained. “Well, people came in and made five, ten, and even twenty dollar donations. And, of course, all the kids want them. We were able to give The Foundation nearly $1,000 from these donations.”
Olga’s Spa hosted its beautifully giving event
For the sixth straight year the staff at Olga’s Spa in Highland Park contributed their time and energy to what Olga likes to call “Rory Day.” On that day, the proceeds from all of the shop’s products and services are donated to The Rory David Deutsch Foundation. The September event featured a delicious buffet, a raffle, and a silent auction. “The Highland Park community has always been generous in donating auction items,” Olga said. “That is where we make the most money for The Foundation. We love to have hard-to-find or hard-to-get items such as autographed sports memorabilia or game tickets.” In this year, Olga and her staff have raised almost $40,000 for pediatric brain tumor research.
Performance proceeds from “The Swinger” donated to Rory
The Swinger, a one-man show written and performed by Rob Shindler, a Chicago attorney, chronicled the journey he and his wife traveled down the road of infertility. While most discussions of infertility focused on the wife, the show featured the unique perspective of the husband's dealings with this emotional issue. All proceeds from the October 5th performance of this enlightening show went to The Rory David Deutsch Foundation.
Fit for the Stars family event mixed fun and funds
The Centre Club in Gurnee, Illinois donated its entire staff, time, and 60,000 square feet of fun for the fourth Rory David Deutsch Foundation Family Event in November. With a variety of sports activities and games, a live and silent auction, and catered food from Marcello’s, the event delivered fun for the whole family and raised $340,000 for the battle against pediatric brain-stem gliomas.
Researcher identified importance of glioma protein
In a research laboratory at Northwestern University, Dr. Sandeep Batra made strong progress a protein called p-38. The lab is associated with Children’s Memorial Hospital has been partially funded through donations from The Rory David Deutsch Foundation. P-38 belongs to a family of proteins called mitogen-activated protein kinases. “These proteins actually help the brain stem glioma tumors to survive,” Dr. Batra said. “They are important in determining how the tumor will react to treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. They have never been investigated in this capacity before.”
However, research has been conducted on p-38 in relation to other medical conditions including leukemia, and prostate cancer, and joint inflammation. Dr. Batra, a Pediatric Neuro-Oncologist who has been working on p-38 for about a year and a half under the direction of Dr. Stewart Goldman, expressed excitement about having access to this body of existing medical knowledge. “It will help us uncover the mystery surrounding this family of tumors,” he said. “We are already looking at a couple of medications that will work better if we can block the p-38 from protecting the tumor. We are hoping to develop some oral pills that will do that blocking and make treatment more effective. Our next logical step is to use either gene therapy or medications to block p-38 in a mouse with a glioma tumor to demonstrate that our research is effective. We greatly appreciate the kind of support we get from The Foundation. It is so critical in any kind of progress we make.”
Rory wristbands raced out of Running Right
Bill Moss is no stranger to The Rory David Deutsch Foundation. Through his Highland Park store, Running Right, he has been generous in donating silent auction items for The Foundation’s Family Events. This year his daughter gave him an opportunity to get more involved in the charity. “She was working on her Bat Mitzvah and was selling Rory winter hats and wristbands,” Bill explained. “I came home one day and saw the dining room table stacked with hats and bands and I realized we could sell them in the store.” The pull-on winter caps and the blue wristbands with The Foundation theme, “Brighter Tomorrows,” were very popular at The Foundation’s Family Event the previous year. Bill asked placed them in his store’s most ideal location, the front counter. The sales began in December of 2004 and continued until all the hats and wristbands were sold.
Karyn continued collecting for Rory
Karyn and Mark Levy entered their seventh year of support for The Rory David Deutsch Foundation. At The Karyn Collection in Highland Park, a portion of the sales from all TY products—which includes Beanie Babies and Beanie Boppers—continued to be donated to The Foundation. “The Deutsch family has been customers of mine since we opened the store,” Karyn said. “My daughter started working in the store when she was 14 and one of her first customers was Mindy, who was pregnant with Rory at the time. We have a very personal commitment and connection to the family, and I will always have a special place in my heart for the Deutsch family.”