Fashion 4 the Cure
March 29, 2011
SHARED EXPERIENCE UNITES TWO LONG ISLAND TEENS
IN FRIENDSHIP AND FIGHT AGAINST PANCREATIC CANCER
Teen-Organized Fashion Show Fundraiser Expected to Raise $150,000 for Research
BETHPAGE, NY–Becky Broxmeyer and Sophie Koppelman Fritz are two Long Island teens joined by fashion, friendship, and a shared determination to help change the face of pancreatic cancer, America’s fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths and the deadly disease that took the lives of their loved ones.
In 2008, sixteen year-old Roslyn Harbor resident, Sophie Koppelman Fritz, lost her grandmother, affectionately known as “Mommom,” to pancreatic cancer. In 2010, Muttontown resident Becky Broxmeyer’s father, Mark, was also lost to the disease. Sophie and Becky were acquaintances at Friends Academy in Locust Valley. The friendship blossomed after the teens learned of their common experience with the disease. They also learned they shared a flair for fashion, as well as the determination to ensure their loved ones’ lives were not lost in vain. Together, they created Fashion 4 the Cure, a mother-daughter fashion show, featuring casual couture, to help raise urgently needed dollars for pancreatic cancer research.
The event will take place on Wednesday, April 6 at Engineers Country Club on Glenwood Road in Roslyn Harbor.
The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 pm, followed by the fashion show at 8 pm. Long Island-based designer, Christina Makowsky, will dress the adults. Teen clothing has been donated by TopShop. Also included in the evening will be a silent auction. Prominent local business leaders, sponsors and individuals are expected to attend.
Net proceeds from the event will benefit The Lustgarten Foundation, the nation’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. With an overall survival rate of just five percent, pancreatic cancer is a disease with no prevention, no early tests and, unless detected in its early stages, no cure. The Lustgarten Foundation works to advance scientific and clinical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. One hundred percent of all donations received by the Foundation go directly to pancreatic cancer research.
Said Kerri Kaplan, Lustgarten Foundation Executive Director, “All of us at The Lustgarten Foundation are extraordinarily grateful to have the support of such lovely and determined young ladies in the fight against pancreatic cancer. A family-oriented fashion show is a wonderful tribute to their loved ones, and holds the potential to raise more than $150,000 for urgently needed research.”
Event co-organizer Sophie Koppelman Fritz said, “Having lost my beloved grandmother, best friend and favorite shopping companion, “Mommom” to pancreatic cancer at age 14, I learned too soon the devastating impact of this disease. I am honored to team up with The Lustgarten Foundation, knowing “Mommom” would be proud of my efforts to take a stand against pancreatic cancer.”
Said co-organizer Becky Broxmeyer, “My father’s battle with this disease was a formidable but private one. I intend to be as loud as I can in the fight against pancreatic cancer. Fashion 4 the Cure combines a fun-filled activity with an important cause – bringing public awareness of the urgent need for research into this deadly disease.”
To purchase tickets and learn more about Fashion 4 the Cure, visit www.lustgarten.org/fashion4thecure
About The Lustgarten Foundation
The Lustgarten Foundation, based in Bethpage, New York, is America’s largest private foundation working solely on pancreatic cancer research. The Foundation provides critical support in the search for better diagnostics and treatment of pancreatic cancer, and to date has provided more than $38 million to the world’s most prestigious medical and research centers. To learn more, visit www.lustgarten.org.
Photographed on Top: Becky Broxmeyer and Sophie Koppelman Fritz
