NO LAUGHING MATTER 2023 RAISES OVER $1MILLION!

NO LAUGHING MATTER RAISES MORE THAN $1MILLION

THE FIFTH ANNUAL “NO LAUGHING MATTER” FUNDRAISER RAISES MORE THAN $1M FOR PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCH AT WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE

An all-star comedy line-up donated time and talent to the laugh-out-loud fundraiser on October 12, to help us honor MERYL WITMER, while raising research funding for rare and inoperable brain tumors at Weill Cornell Medicine. Comedians included Michael Cruz Kayne, Chase O’Donnell, Carmen Lynch, Michael Kosta, and the Improvised Shakespeare Company.

The room was filled with love, laughter, hope, and inspiration on Thursday, October 12 at the New York Athletic Club during the annual “No Laughing Matter” comedy night fundraiser to benefit the Children’s Brain Tumor Project (CBTP) at Weill Cornell Medicine.

“We are so grateful to the board of directors at the Children’s Brain Tumor Project Foundation, our dinner chair Tara Lipton, our honoree Meryl Witmer, our generous donors and sponsors, and the incredible comedic talent who made this event such a tremendous success. We rely on the success of this event not only to maintain the research that is already underway, but to grow our efforts so we can discover cures and bring them to clinic even faster,” said Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield.

The event included an emotional donation appeal, raising much-needed research funding to support the critical work at the lab. There were also several children and families in attendance who have been personally impacted by a pediatric brain tumor diagnosis, like Liam (8-years-old), who bravely appeared on stage to share some inspiration, and Kai Brown Coley (10-years-old), who performed his own compositions on the baby grand piano during cocktail hour.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the “Liz Laugh Love*” award to Meryl Witmer for her commitment to advocating for children with brain tumors since her own son, Andrew, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. She is grateful for the great care Andrew received and thankful to all of the doctors, nurses and friends who were part of the integral team that led to his great outcome. Andrew graduated from Princeton University in 2020 with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and works in the Washington D.C. area.

Ms. Witmer exemplifies the meaning of a patient advocate. She has shown generous support for many clinical trials and research advancements including Dr. Mark Souweidane’s novel work using convection-enhanced delivery in children with deadly brain tumors. Her door is always open to families who face this frightening diagnosis, and she demonstrates unwavering commitment to this important cause.

The comedy night fundraiser has become the largest annual event of the Children’s Brain Tumor Project, and we look forward to hosting another fantastic lineup in 2024. Save the date for Thursday, October 10th!!

IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION.

*The Liz Laugh Love award was created in memory of Elizabeth Minter to honor her tremendous advocacy and fundraising efforts, which helped create a dedicated research lab for rare pediatric brain tumors at Weill Cornell Medicine.

PHOTOS FROM THE 2023 FUNDRAISER (CREDIT: James O’Connor)

SPECIAL THANKS TO: