The St. Jude Performance Team, led by Fitness for a Cure event chair Sherri Laffey Sarrouf, raised $145,000 for the 18th annual event.
The 18th annual Fitness for a Cure shattered its fundraising goal of $440,000 on March 18, with a total of $507,000 raised to support St. Jude. The day-long affair began with a fitness show in the morning, followed by an afternoon of kid-oriented fun and giveaways and a more formal gala later that night. The event was held at Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The day’s theme was “Dedicated to Danny’s Dream” and featured more than 105 members of the St. Jude Performance Team, who raised $145,000 through peer-to-peer fundraising. The St. Jude Performance Team is led by Sherri Laffey Sarrouf, event chair of Fitness for a Cure for the past 18 years, and the team’s focus is to raise money and awareness for St. Jude through their performances.
St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Because of the donations raised at events such as Fitness for a Cure, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
The presenting sponsor of the evening gala was Flexecution, Inc., and Danny’s Dream sponsors included Macom, Cassandra Salon.Shoppe.Spa and SLS Fitness, owned by Sarrouf, and which raised more than $40,000 through employee fundraising efforts. The top auction item of the night was a trip to St. Maarten, bringing in $11,000.
Guests included Charles Roberts, MD, PhD, Director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, ALSAC/St. Jude Board of Directors and Governors members Camille Sarrouf, Jr., Paul Ayoub and Chuck Hajjar, and several St. Jude patient families.