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Moorhead Foundation for Hope Schedules Dinner
"YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Local businesses such as Aebisher's Jewelry, Casal's de Spa, Travel Lite Tours and Travel, Morgan Furniture, and England Custom Furniture Direct have donated items for charity auctions and raffles held at the Jessica Moorhead Foundation for Hope, according to Larry Hendricks, chief executive of England CFD and a foundation trustee. The foundation, he added, is preparing for a dinner and reverse raffle Feb. 26, which will feature U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan as the keynote speaker. "We launched the foundation in October 2003 and held a big community fundraiser three months later," said Jennifer Moorhead, who created the foundation with Tod Children's Hospital physician Ayman Saleh in honor of Moorhead's daughter, Jessica, who died in 2003 from Leukemia at age 16. The foundation's goal is to provide the latest medicine in a child-friendly setting, and Moorhead said it is the local business community that is keeping the vision alive."We were a brand new nonprofit organization trying to convince community members to come to our fundraising events," said Moorhead, now the foundation's executive director. "Products, services, and know-how donated by local businesses helped us capture people's interest long enough for our message to capture their hearts."For the foundation's fashion show last fall, for instance, a number of local businesses including those listed above donated products and services and embraced the foundation's cause, Henricks said."We haven't yet reached the stage where we can do the really big things," Moorhead noted. "But thanks to our caring business community, we are making the community more aware and brightening the days of the patients currently in the program."The theme of this year's dinner and reverse raffle -- "Imagining the Possibilities" --expresses Moorhead's hope that the foundation will have a greater impact in the coming years. Ryan, who recently secured $200,000 in federal monies for Forum Health's Cancer Center, will speak about the power of community support and the importance of the Pediatric Cancer Program to the Mahoning Valley's future. With help from some young cancer patients, Moorhead also will share highlights of the foundation's first year, which included six different projects for bringing hope and assistance to young cancer patients and their families. The dinner and reverse raffle are scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Maronite Center. A $75 ticket includes hors d'oeuvres and dinner with an open bar, as well as the chance to win one of several cash prizes totaling over $4,000, Moorhead says. Tables for eight can be reserved for $550. The evening also will include Chinese and silent auctions and a live auction conducted by Paul Basinger. For more information, call (330) 799-5312.Visit the Jessica Moorhead Foundation for Hope: www.jessicafoundationforhope.org"