Sunrise Highlights
We are so grateful to all of our donors who make our mission possible.
Sunrise Association: Eighth Annual Dare to Dream raised over $1M!
The Dare to Dream Virtual Benefit took place on November 3, 2021 and was a night to remember! Ken Jeong (Masked Singer, Crazy Rich Asians) hosted the evening with both his humor and humanity. The evening’s honorees — Harriet and Jimmy Berg — deservedly received the Sunrise Champion Award, for their generosity and dedication to helping make children’s dreams come true and creating a million Sunrise smiles. During the entertaining program, Ken interacted live with our event chairs, honorees, dinner chairs, and even the Sunrise Toyota Rooster! We were honored that Haley Arceneaux, member of SpaceX inaugural space mission Inspiration4, shared her story of beating pediatric cancer and pursued her dreams. She had inspirational interviews with two Sunrise Moms to learn about their individual Sunrise Day Camp experience. We even had welcome shoutouts — from a NASCAR Toyota team driver and local network news anchors — to our two new camps coming in summer 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia, and Southern New Jersey/Greater Philly. The event raised over $1 million to benefit all Sunrise Association camps and programs.
Special Thanks to
Event Host
Ken Jeong
Inspiring Honorees
Harriet & Jimmy Berg
Committed Event Leadership
Laurie & Stephen Girsky • Joy & Steve Zelin
Dedicated Dinner Chairs
Jami & Aaron Berg • Wendy & Neil Sandler
and
the Incredible Event Committee
Our Wheels Are Rolling!
The Sunrise on Wheels team has been rolling at high-speed! We are back on site (and better than ever) in ten of our affiliated hospitals. Our staff are wheeling in our tie-dye trunks and providing in-person fun and magic for children in hospital waiting rooms, in-patient areas, and isolation rooms. We have also started bringing back weekly craft projects, many of which are sponsored by our generous donors!
We still continue to ship craft projects, activity bags and our On Wheels newsletter monthly so that the magic of our Wheels program is shared with increasing number of patients! The responses we have received from the hospitals are filled with gratitude and joy.
Finally, we are captivating audiences around the U.S. with our virtual outreach programs, Sunrise on Screens and Wheels Up! Sunrise on Screens is our monthly, fun-filled video with crafts, music, S.T.E.A.M. activities and never-ending fun! Wheels Up! entertains kids in hospitals all over the country — from Texas to Rhode Island to Arizona to Illinois and beyond! Children are using their Sunrise Association Passports to “travel” around the world with the innovative video adventures seen on Wheels Up! Thank you to the Dorothy and Irving Ross Sunrise Studios and American Airlines for this amazing program.
Our hospital programs are certainly “on a roll”!
Alpha Epsilon Pi Brothers Raise $20,000 for Sunrise Day Camp-Pearl River
On October 10th, the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi City of Syracuse held their first annual charity golf tournament to benefit Sunrise Day Camp-Pearl River. Over 60 Members and their parents, competed in the tournament and enjoyed a great day of golf and giving. Through registration, special competitions, t-shirt sales, and general donations, Alpha Epsilon Pi City of Syracuse raised over $9,400 for Sunrise with a generous donor matching the monies raised, bringing the total to just under $20,000.
LASIK Changes Lives for Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island
Each year, SightMD donates a percentage of all December LASIK procedures they perform back to the Sunrise Association. We are excited to announce that they will once again be partnering with us!
Thanks SightMD for all of your support!
To learn more and schedule a consultation, visit www.sightmd.com/sunrise-daycamp/.
Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island Is Possible Because of Our Amazing Community!
Alina, a college-athlete and running enthusiast, signed up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 20, 2021. This is Alina’s first half-marathon, and she wants this to be something special. Knowing personally how cancer affects a family, she chose to run in honor of Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island, the place her boyfriend spent his summers working when he was younger! Her goal is to raise $6,000 to send one child to camp next summer. She is actively fundraising ahead of her race, including an upcoming bake sale and a fundraiser run with her running club!
As Alina shared, “Sunrise reminds me that there is such a strong community working to make these children’s summers and lives better, every day.” Alina is a part of this community – helping to raise critical funds and awareness that make our programs possible, and we cannot thank her enough for her support!
Read more of Alina’s story here: www.sunrise-walks.org/phillyhalf.
Shop to Support Sunrise Association Day Camps at Champions for Charity December 2-4!
Americana Manhasset Champions for Charity holiday shopping benefit dates are: December 2 – December 4, 2021. Help support Sunrise by doing your holiday shopping at participating Americana Manhasset and select Wheatley Plaza stores during these three days when 25% of your designated full-price, pre-tax purchases will be donated back to support the children of Sunrise!
To register for your complimentary CHAMPION NUMBER or for more information, visit www.championsforcharity.org . Your CHAMPION NUMBER is required to allocate your donation and must be presented at the time of each purchase.
Join us on for the Champions for Charity Cocktail Party at Alice + Olivia – Thursday, December 2nd from 5-7pm!
