It was a great night in Jacksonville for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In fact, it was the single greatest night.
The 11th annual Single Greatest Night in Jacksonville, presented by Southeast Spine & Rehabilitation recently held at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, raised a record $140,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“We truly appreciate the community support for Single Greatest Night and the amazing work of our honorees exceeding their fund-raising goals,” said Director of Special Events Liza Wrobel. “The event is a wonderful way to recognize these dynamic individuals while raising money to support cystic fibrosis medical research.”
The annual celebration honors Jacksonville’s outstanding singles for their service and commitment to community organizations and charities.
Prior to the event, the young professionals join together for a common goal of raising money for the foundation through individual and team fund-raising.
More than 40 honorees were recognized during the event for their support to the foundation. Team Jessica, the top fund-raising team, raised more than $24,000.
The top individual fund-raisers were Mark Howell, who raised $5,747; Kelly Hunter, who raised $3,686; and Stephanie Schwert, who raised $3,265. A silent auction also brought in additional funds.
Radio station WOKV Sports Director Cole Pepper and WJXT-TV News Anchor Casey Black emceed the black-tie gala, which featured music by Big Al & the Kaholics.
Jessica Gaines, who is living with cystic fibrosis, was the event speaker. Discharged from the hospital the day before, she told the audience that knowing that she would speak at the event made her hospital stay more bearable. After she spoke, Gaines was surprised with a cake and everyone singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate her 18th birthday.
For more information about the 2008 Single Greatest Night, call Liza Wrobel at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at (904) 733-3560.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was established in 1955 to assure the development of a means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those afflicted with the disease.
When the Foundation began, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, the median age of survival for a person with the disease is 36.8 years.
Researchers are now working on correcting the basic defect that causes cystic fibrosis, and development of these treatments can eventually put an end to the cascading effects of the disease. For more information, visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Web site at www.cff.org.