Today, Saturday, August 1st, marks three years and two months since Maggie left us. So much has happened since that day. Changes in our lives and changes in everyone’s lives. Time seemed unreal and dreamlike when Maggie was first diagnosed, during her treatments, and after she passed. But today, everything feels unreal and dreamlike and not just for us, but now for the entire world.
As we navigate and cope with this new normal, Maggie’s Mission, with the incredible support of friends and community, has been able to continue our foundation’s mission. This means holding true to Maggie’s dying wish to help children suffering. Maggie said to us before she died, “don’t forget me.” It was the song the Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated to her the first night after meeting her. Through this foundation, Maggie leaves behind a legacy of kindness and love and generosity which is impossible to forget.
The tattoo shown below is Maggie’s cousin Kayla’s. Kayla writes…
“Maggie has been such an inspiration for me throughout my life. I got this tattoo to honor her. ”
Kayla and Maggie at the Jersey Shore a few years ago.
2020 continues to present challenges for all of us, including cancelling or postponing large fundraising events that help keep foundations like Maggie’s Mission going. We had rescheduled our Angelversary Gala for Friday, October 9th, 2020 which was to be held at the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, Long Island. However, due to the ongoing situation with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), Maggie’s Mission has made the difficult decision to cancel our Angelversary Gala altogether for this year.
The current plan is to host the Gala next year on Friday, June 4th of 2021 at the Vanderbilt Museum. This is our biggest fundraising event. It’s difficult to predict what next year will hold, but we remain positive that things will take a turn for the better for all of us and that we will be able to move forward.
Despite not being able to host in-person fundraising events, there have been many who have helped us.
Ben and Diane Filingeri, shown below with their daughter Ally at our 2019 Angelversary Gala, recently donated an incredible $14,000 to Maggie’s Mission. We are happy to have people like the Filingeri family supporting Maggie’s Mission always. We can’t thank them enough.
Ben, their daughter Ally, and Diane from the 2019 Maggie’s Mission Angelversary Gala.
We’re also extremely thankful to Staten Island Yachts for their continued support. With a portion of the proceeds raised from their annual Montauk Canyon Challenge, and the generosity of their participants, many from Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina, they raised over $10,000 for Maggie’s Mission!
Some of the team from Staten Island Yachts.
Scott Savage and Dave Yudelson fighting a fish in the Canyon from this year’s tournament.
Fishing during the tournament.
The Cammarota family, specifically Jack & Ben, who have been longtime MM supporters, helped raise $472 dollars with their car wash.
With their support and your support, Maggie’s Mission has provided numerous meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in NYC. Your generosity has also directly impacted children and their families, like little Avery Moy, diagnosed with stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma & currently undergoing chemo and radiation treatment.
And, of course, we continue to fund innovative research into finding cures for pediatric cancer. Stay tuned as we Go Gold in honor of pediatric cancer awareness month in September!
An adorable Avery Moy, who is battling cancer at 3 years old, sporting an MM hat, still smiling through her pain.
Thank you for being on the Maggie’s Mission Team.
And we won’t ever forget you Maggie!
