NEW YORK, NY - October 5, 2010- On Wednesday, September 29, 2010 The Icla da Silva Foundation held the "Hope Is In Your Hands" Gala at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City.   

 

The Gala was a true celebration of life. Transplant recipient and honoree Jennifer Jones Austin made an overwhelming speech as she received the Community Leadership Award. "Today I stand here with no signs of leukemia in my body. What a year I've had! Icla, I want to thank you. You've been a tremendous resource for me and so many others. Our team needed a coordinator to help facilitate set up drives across this country and Icla stepped up. From day one, Airam and his staff pledged their support to our effort. And they delivered it", said Jennifer Jones Austin. 

Kelly Rottmann (Recipient) and Afranna Yamen (Marrow Donor)The friends and supporters of The Icla da Silva Foundation could also see the great moment when leukemia survivor Kelly Rottmann met her bone marrow donor Afranna Yameenfor the very first time."  This is the single greatest thing I've done in my life.I want to thank the organization for being in my university in 2001 because that's what makes Kelly able to be here today", said Afranna.  "Next year, we are going to be grandparents. Thank you for this gift", said Kelly in tears.

The Gala helped to raise over $200,000 from friends and supporters.  All proceeds support the foundation’s patient services and bone marrow recruitment programs.

 

The Icla da Silva Foundation began as the vision of da Silva family after the tragic death of their beloved Icla, who lost the fight against leukemia at the age of 13. Now entering its 18th year, The Icla da Silva Foundation has grown into the largest recruitment center for the National Be The Match Registry. In 2009 alone, it recruited over 38,000 new donors in more than 1,700 marrow drives.

 

The Foundation works directly with corporations and communities with a specific focus on finding donor for minority communities.

 

The sold out event was hosted by television host/spokesperson Rib Hillis and comedian/actor Chuck Nice. There was also a special tribute made by Deputy Mayor of New York City, Dennis Walcott.

 

 

Drives made for Jennifer Jones Austin have added over 13,000 new donors to the national marrow registry within two months. While Mrs. Austin hasn’t found a compatible donor, she has received a very successful blood cord transplant and could celebrate her 42nd birthday with her husband and two children.

Mrs. Austin joined the United Way of New York City in January 2008 as the Senior Vice President of Community Investment. Prior to joining UWNYC, she served as New York City's first Family Services Coordinator, a position to which she was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg after four years as a Deputy Commissioner in the City's Administration for Children's Services.

Milton Schwartz, a father of a leukemia patient, advocate and supporter of The Icla da Silva Foundation, was the recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award. Milton Schwartz is a partner of Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP, an international law firm in New York. He served for a number of years as Chairman of the Latin American Law Committee of the American Bar Association, President of the American Foreign Law Association, President of the Ecuadorian American Association and holds positions in related organizations. He is the author of numerous published works on comparative, foreign and Latin American law. He is also a trustee of the Mex-Am Cultural Foundation.

 

The Icla da Silva Foundation is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c) 3 of the IRS Code, was established in June of 1992 after the death of Icla da Silva, a thirteen-year-old Brazilian girl who had leukemia. She died after intense efforts by her family, friends and neighbors to find a matching donor.

 

The mission of the Icla da Silva Foundation is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors and by providing support services to children and adults with leukemia and other diseases treatable by marrow transplants.

 

Today, the Icla da Silva Foundation is the largest Recruitment Center for the Be The Match Registry, recruiting over 38,000 new potential marrow donors per year. With offices in New York, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami and Puerto Rico, the Foundation has expanded its recruitment and patient services to many other parts of the country.

 

For more information regarding the gala, visit http://www.iclaevents.org or contact The Icla da Silva Foundation at 1-888- 638-2870.