Jazz in June: Reflections on an evening of music and philanthropy
Thank you to 2021 Jazz in June attendee Maggie DeCosse for providing this guest blog with her commentary and reflections about our June 17th virtual fundraising event.
Jazz in June is an annual fundraising event hosted by Children’s Cancer Cause, which took place virtually in both 2020 and 2021. I ‘attended’ for the first time this year and was invited to share this guest blog post with my reflections on the event. Jazz in June offered a unique opportunity for childhood cancer advocates, survivors, and families and friends of survivors to gather for an evening of music and philanthropy.
For an hour, we were treated to upbeat numbers by exceptionally talented jazz artists. The night opened with a short introduction of the event by Steve Wosahla, Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Cancer Cause. Woven throughout the musical performances were speakers including Representative Jackie Speier and Representative G.K. Butterfield, Members of Congress who are developing policy at the federal level to combat childhood cancer. Representative Speier mentioned her work in co-sponsoring the STAR Act which expands opportunities for childhood cancer research and aims to enhance the quality of life for survivors.
Other speakers included LeAnn Jackson, board chair of the Children’s Cancer Cause, who reminded us of the importance of advocating for the long-term care of survivors. We also heard from recipients of CCC’s college scholarship for cancer survivors, who shared the ways they’re becoming involved in advocacy work. One of the scholar’s work centers on the area of bone marrow donation and how important it is for people of different ethnicities to be bone marrow donors in order to increase the likelihood of a match.
During performances, facts about childhood cancer were shared on the screen. Two facts that stood out to me are that 100,000 children worldwide die of cancer every year, and that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children. This fact stressed the need for events like these and strengthened my desire to support Children’s Cancer Cause, the leading national advocacy organization working to end childhood cancer.
There is still time to contribute. The online auction remains open through this weekend, and you can donate by texting GIVE to 202-516-7644 or through this secure web link. The link to the silent auction is jazzinjune.givesmart.com.
Thank you to the incredibly talented artists who participated in the event. The night was also supported by generous sponsors and contributors who donated items for the silent auction. I look forward to attending the event in person next year.
If you missed the event live, you can still watch it, either below or over on Facebook.
-Maggie DeCosse