The Kristen Ann Carr Fund (KACF), an organization that provides funding for the research and treatment of sarcoma as well as the education of physicians and the improvement of cancer patient quality of life, announced a record-breaking year for the organization’s annual A Night to Remember fundraiser and the addition of two new fellows to its training programs at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK): surgical oncology fellow Dr. George Li and medical oncology fellow Dr. Carly Rosemore.
The A Night to Remember gala has been an annual tradition for 29 years, with an honoree, live music and a premium auction. This year, The Fund honored John Sykes, the president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartMedia and a longtime friend of the KAFC. It was hosted by Drew Nieporent of Myriad Restaurant Group at Tribeca Grill for the 17th year running — where Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Mellencamp gave a special guest performance, captivating the sold-out crowd. Vowing to top the previous record set in 2013, when the gala raised over $1 million for the first time, Sykes delivered on his promise to break it — helping to raise a whopping $1.35 million.
“The Kristen Ann Carr Fund has made so much tangible progress in the research and treatment of sarcoma through its partnership with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and I couldn’t be more honored to play a part in that important legacy,” said Sykes. “Introducing my friend, John Mellencamp, to perform in such an intimate setting was icing on the cake.”
Over $500,000 was raised at auction, both at the event and online. The most coveted item was a Telecaster guitar played by Bruce Springsteen several times in 2019, including at A Night to Remember with honoree Danny Clinch, which sold for $41,000. Springsteen has been an avid supporter of the KACF since its inception in 1993, six months following the untimely passing of Kristen Ann Carr, having headlined the organization’s inaugural benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. He was subsequently honored by The Fund at a previous A Night to Remember gala in 1998.
In addition to its fellowship programs, the KAFC has built a dedicated sarcoma laboratory, underwritten several grants for former KACF fellows, hosted holiday parties for the MSK pediatric department and more. As previously noted, it is nearing completion of its $10 million fundraising commitment to The Kristen Ann Carr Center for Sarcoma Treatment & Research — a project designed to significantly expand the ability of doctors to make progress in both the lab and in patient care. In fact, all MSK sarcoma patients are now treated through The Kristen Ann Carr Sarcoma Center.
Learn more at kristenanncarrfund.org.
