Kids Beating Cancer has raised over $30 million since its inception in 1992, funding pediatric cancer research and life-saving programs for children and their families.
Andrew Corkin and Jacey Dupree (Damsel in Dior) attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
On Thursday night at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the charity hosted “A Night with the Stars” cocktail event to benefit research advancements at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for pediatric leukemia patients.
Model Obi Nwankwo and Taleah Meshae attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Cody Marquez/BFA.com
Actor Jason Ritter, Damsel in Dior’s Jacey Duprie, and model Obi Nwankwo joined supporters, philanthropists, and special guests to raise funds for pioneering leukemia research funded by Kids Beating Cancer at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Other VIP guests included Margaret Guedes, CEO, President and Founder KBC; Sam Azar, COO, VP of Research KBC; Dr. Yong-mi Kim, Investigator; Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; Dr. James Amatruda, Interim Chief and Interim Director, Cancer and Blood Disease Institute; and Dr. Deepa Bhojwani, Director, Leukemia and Lymphoma Program Attending Physician.
Shalom Blac attends Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
The fundraiser gave guests an opportunity to directly support the research project Kids Beating Cancer is championing, with all proceeds going toward advancing innovative treatment solutions for pediatric leukemia patients in the Los Angeles area.
Margaret Guedes (CEO, President and Founder of Kids Beating Cancer) attends Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
“Kids Beating Cancer continues to look to the future, investing in the development of improved methods to treat children diagnosed with cancer more safely, effectively and with fewer side effects. Through our partnership with CHLA, we are focused on advancing the most significant breakthroughs in the treatment of pediatric cancers that will offer the best hope of a cure to children worldwide,” said Margaret Guedes, CEO, President and Founder of Kids Beating Cancer.
Author and writer Lauren Goldenberg (GOSSIP GIRL, marketing exec) attends Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Cody Marquez/BFA.com
Throughout the night, attendees were able to bid on luxurious items in a Silent Auction, such as a five-night stay at the Grand Wailea Maui, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, and bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, along with accessories.
Silent Bidding at the Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
Guests also enjoyed an open bar, along with an elegantly presented charcuterie board and delicious hors d’oeuvres that included bites of ahi tuna, mini burgers, egg rolls, and watermelon with a dollop of goat cheese.
About Kids Beating Cancer and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Research Project
Deepa Bhojwani, Chris Gearity, and Yong-mi Kim attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
Recent advancements in immunotherapy, including revolutionary treatments like CAR T-cell therapy, offer
new hope to children battling leukemia. Despite these breakthroughs, some forms of leukemia persist,
continuing to return even after bone marrow transplants and other intensive treatments.
Kids Beating Cancer’s latest research initiative with CHLA is inspired by advancements in the treatment of
a similar form of leukemia found in older adults, multiple myeloma. Since 2015, patients with this disease
have been treated with a specific antibody that binds to a protein called CD38. Leukemia cells coated with
the antibody are flagged for killing by specialized immune cells such as natural killer cells, macrophages,
and neutrophils. T-cells, another type of immune cells, have not been involved in this approach.
Musicians at Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
Researchers have now developed a novel antibody that pulls many subsets of T-cells together with adult
acute myeloid leukemia cells through CD38. Preliminary studies completed with acute lymphoblastic
leukemia cells provide hope that this antibody can be used to kill a variety of pediatric leukemia cells
including those from patients who did not respond to other treatments.
Kids Beating Cancer’s project seeks to further investigate the impact of this antibody and provide robust
evidence for its success with the most challenging forms of pediatric leukemia.
George Azar, Sam Azar, and Sergio Kays attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
About Kids Beating Cancer
Sam Azar, Margaret Guedes, and Whitney Carillon attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
Founded in 1992 by Margaret Guedes after the loss of her nine-year-old son to leukemia, the mission of
Kids Beating Cancer is to provide access to life-saving treatments for children diagnosed with cancer
regardless of hospital affiliation, funding pediatric cancer research for improved outcomes, moving new
discoveries to patient care, all while supporting children and their families throughout the journey to a cure.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Ellen Cheney and James Amatruda attend Kids Beating Cancer’s “A Night with the Stars” Cocktail Fundraiser at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Photo credit: Jenna Burke/BFA.com
Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest
provider of hospital care for children in California. Children’s Hospital is home to renowned experts who
work together across disciplines to deliver inclusive and compassionate care, and drive advances that set
pediatric standards across the nation and around the globe. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles embraces its
mission to create hope and build healthier futures. The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles supports the full continuum of research, allowing physicians and scientists to translate discoveries
into treatments and bring answers to families faster. The pediatric academic medical center also is home
to one of the largest training programs for pediatricians in the United States. And the hospital’s commitment
to building strong communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to fight food insecurity, enhance health education
and literacy, and introduce more people to careers in health care.
