Category Archives: Blog

Mark Your Calendar For “Curiouser & Curiouser”!

  April 29, 2013 - 8:41 am |
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June 8, 2013 is going to be a great night!  The event, called  ”Curiouser & Curiouser”, includes a very special art exhibit and sale (with some surprises) being planned at Artistic Lifestyles Gallery in Las Vegas.

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Circus Couture co-founder Erica Linz alongside Avery who explains the artwork she is creating for “Curiouser & Curiouser”, a special fundraising event happening at Artistic Lifestyles Gallery and benefitting Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.

 

With expert ideas, planning, organization and assistance from our friends at Circus Couture, this will be a memorable event and fundraiser for Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. Funds raised through the event support our Charity Care Plan which ensures no child is ever turned away from receiving treatment that could save their life due to a lack of medical insurance or a family’s ability to pay for treatment.

 

While Artistic Lifestyles Gallery is filled with incredible and diverse artwork available for sale, it will be the specific works made by clients from the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada getting all the attention that night!

 

The glass art pieces being featured June 8, were made on April 27, 2013 during a special workshop held at the Domsky Glass studio– a fascinating place right next door to Artistic Lifestyles Gallery.

 

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Nicholas gets some assistance from volunteer Ben Stephenson on his art project.

 

Under the careful supervision of noted Glass and Metal artists, Larry and Barbara Domsky, the kids were simply asked to create. Let their minds run wild they were told!  They were able to use all the tools, supplies, colors, and concepts in the Domsky studio toolbox– limited only by their imagination.

 

The Domskys are taking care of the important “cooking” process where the glass art pieces will be placed in an extremely hot oven.  They’ll be cooled and ready for their public display  June 8.

 

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Larry and Barbara Domsky surrounded by the artists!

 

 

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Nothing happens without volunteers! Larry and Barbara Domsky with our dedicated group of helpers.

Photos courtesy Gabe Ginsberg / Vegas Kool. (Thanks Gabe!)

Curiouser & Curiouser – A Circus Couture Event

June 8, 2013, 7pm

Artistic Lifestyles Gallery

2758 S. Highland Drive, Suite B, Las Vegas, NV

Admission $25

 

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A Different Kind of Fundraiser

  April 18, 2013 - 9:35 am |
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It’s a funny name … Wrong Way/ Right Cause.

But funny or not, these people are serious! (Some might call them crazy.)  Crazy or not, we’re just happy as clams they want to help support the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation’s mission to provide specialized medical treatment to ALL children.

We can say, without hesitation, this is one of the most intense fundraisers to ever be proposed to Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.  All 8,000 miles of it! Beginning June 5, 2013 in Las Vegas, the Wrong Way/Right Cause group, under the direction of  Brian Rogerson, will be taking a very long trip to Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska – and back to Las Vegas.

First, they’ll be on motorcycles. Secondly, by gaining pledges from wonderful people who believe like we do, that all children facing life-threatening conditions such as cancer, deserve the treatment that can save their lives, regardless if they have health insurance.

See the DONATE button way over on the right side of the page?  That’s how you can support Wrong Way/Right Cause (and ultimately Cure 4 The Kids Foundation) and help us continue providing services to those families without the benefit of medical insurance or adequate medical insurance, or the financial resources to pay for treatment.

 

Brian Rogerson, Wrong Way / Right Cause Idea Man!

Brian Rogerson, Wrong Way / Right Cause Idea Man!

“I first became aware of Cure 4 the Kids through co-workers.  Many people I know volunteer and fund raise because of a coworker’s son, who passed of leukemia, in 2007.  The more I discovered about the foundation the more I knew that this is an organization that I can stand up for.    I am inspired by their charity care program and the fact that they don’t turn any child away, ever,  for any reason.  I am thankful for my healthy son and am happy to pay it forward to help other families in need.”

Brian Rogerson

 

All the money you donate as a result of Wrong Way/Right Cause goes directly to Cure 4 The Kids Foundation!  (Don’t be alarmed by the Alliance for Childhood Diseases — that is our official name, as a nonprofit, registered with the State of Nevada.)

Just be sure to note Wrong Way / Right Cause on your donation, so we can keep track and make our goal!

Wrong Way / Right Cause

 

But first, have you considered how long this trip is?

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The best part is you can follow along!  You can get updates, photos and probably diner recommendations on the route (handy for future trips) by following the group on its Facebook page.  Give it a Like and help us out!

 

 

The Queen of Cakes

  April 4, 2013 - 7:38 am |
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When it comes to celebrating, those of us at Cure 4 the Kids Foundation believe there is often no better way to recognize a momentous occasion  than with a big piece of chocolate cake, a cookie or a cupcake.

There, I said it.

Baker Extraordinaire Laura Clauson

Baker Extraordinaire Laura Clauson shown in her baking kingdom doing what she loves to do … bake! As the photo shows, she has been known to do her baking in her bare feet.

There are many people and businesses who have added to our celebrations over the years by providing those kinds of goodies and we are truly appreciative!

But there is one person who has done a majority of the baking for our kids.

Her name is Laura Clauson.  We can say without any exaggeration that she baked literally thousands and thousands of cakes in her life. She is a chronic baker who can’t say no when an event is being planned and someone says “We need a cake!”

As many of you know, we’re honored to have the “No More Chemo” parties when a patient is finally finished with their chemotherapy treatment.  It’s a big day that patients and their families rarely forget. For some patients, it is a rebirth of sorts after a long and difficult journey on the path to regaining their health.

It was after a few of those parties that Laura, who often purchased the cakes for those parties had an epiphany.  The cakes didn’t taste that good and they were expensive.  She decided to do better. And she has for many, many, many patients and their families.

Here’s a bit from the conversation between Cure 4 The Kids Foundation (C4TK) and Laura Clauson.

C4TK: What’s your favorite cake, not to bake, but to eat?

Laura: My favorite is my chocolate, chocolate, chocolate chip with cream cheese frosting and chocolate dipped strawberries and shaved chocolate and drizzled with ganache.

C4TK: So apparently, you like chocolate.

C4TK: What’s the largest amount of cookies or cupcakes you have made at one time?

Laura: I think I’ve baked and decorated about 350 to 400 cupcakes at one time.  I would say about the same number of cookies.

C4TK: That sounds like you must have an industrial sized mixer at home?

Laura: No, I only double my recipes.  Then, when one batch is in the oven, I start on the next batch. I recently moved into a new home and one of the top priorities for me was to get a double oven in the kitchen. I got it! This will make the process much quicker and easier for me!

C4TK: Would you provide a favorite recipe?

Laura: My Chocolate chip cookie recipe!  ( see link below)

C4TK: Tell us a few things about you

Laura: Perhaps I’ve learned to bake in large numbers because I’ve had to!  I have a large family … six children of my own, five step children and 14 grandchildren.  (Editor note: I just added this up and that’s like 75 cookies for a family gathering!)   I’ve worked with Dr. B for about 7 years now and am proud to be one of the original employees from the very early days.

C4TK: Anything people would be surprised to know about you?

Laura: Well, I love sports. I love to play football and basketball and I’m a bit of a daredevil. In fact, I have tried out for the television show Survivor three times!  I’ve never been chosen.  They certainly are not aware of my skills. I’m quite certain I would have made some creative meals out of the strange ingredients given to you on the show.

Laura’s Super Secret and Famous Chocolate Cookie Recipe

A look at Laura’s “No More Chemo” cakes made for our patients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Dawn Marie! Pancake Maker, Go-Getter, Circus Couture Organzier and now, Director of Development

  March 14, 2013 - 4:52 pm |
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If I were stuck on an isolated island with a bottle of water, one container of dental floss, a signaling mirror, a package of Skittles, and a supply of coconuts, I would want Dawn Marie to be there with me.

Dawn Marie is a do-er.  While many people can talk all day about making something happen, Dawn Marie simply makes things happen.

 

We are so happy to announce Dawn Marie is now part of the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation! She will be Director of Development beginning March 19, 2013.  Her mission is to help spread the word about Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and make new partnerships among community groups, local businesses and the public as well as encouraging their support financially and otherwise.  As a nonprofit organization we are unique in that no child is turned away from treatment due to a lack of medical insurance or the financial resources to pay for service.  But that means we need support and that’s where Dawn Marie excels.

So, while our doctors, nurses, and medical staff concentrate on what they do best at the Children’s Specialty Center and Hemophilia Treatment Center, Dawn Marie will be our ambassador to increase awareness of our services and our mission

Dawn Marie is the organizational guru behind Circus Couture. Drawing on 9 years experience in professional theatre management, she brings her gifts to Las Vegas kids as the center of the Circus Couture wheel.  Dawn Marie has toured extensively with world-class productions such as Fosse, the Full Monty, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Annie. She has also worked with the critically acclaimed productions of Rent and Avenue Q on Broadway.

Seeking the stability of life off the road, Dawn Marie came to Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis and then Zarkana where she exercises her other areas of expertise as a technician. The move affored her the opportunity to jump back into the charitable world with both feet. Dawn Marie was an integral part of bringing the Circus Couture dream to life and is looking forward to the continued magic that is created when those who can, brilliantly do.

Welcome Dawn Marie!

Way To Go, Dr B!

  March 11, 2013 - 7:26 pm |
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It seems there are a plethora of Top Doc/Best Doctors lists, or is it just me?

Dr. Jonathan Bernstein is founder and medical director of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation

Dr. Jonathan Bernstein is founder and medical director of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation

Regardless, we are very fortunate that one name seems to keep showing up on these lists!  Jonathan Bernstein, MD.

Or as we know him,  Dr. B.

The latest example comes to us in Vegas Seven Magazine in their Best Doctors list.  Dr. B is again named one of the top Hematology/Oncology doctors in the Las Vegas Valley.   Congrats to Dr B!

You can find a link to the magazine’s special edition here.   To see the list of Hematology/Oncology doctors, including Dr. B,  you can go here.

Just today we received a nice letter of congratulations sent to Dr. B from the Clark County Medical Society, click here to see it.

Having specialists on a list like this isn’t just good for the doctors, or for Cure 4 The Kids Foundation– it’s good for all of us in the community. We never know when we, or someone we know, will be in need of a doctor with this particular specialized training.

If it isn’t obvious by now, Dr. B has always been an outstanding provider and humanitarian in our eyes.  As founder of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation he has made it his mission to bring Board Certified Pediatric Specialists to Las Vegas and Reno so patients can receive the best care in their own community.  It wasn’t so long ago that children facing major diseases such as cancer, tumors, rheumatological conditions, rare and ultra rare diseases and genetic conditions were forced to travel out of state to receive treatment.   Dr. B and Cure 4 The Kids Foundation have made it their mission to bring specialists to our community, and we are seeing the results before our eyes.  A few examples:

  • Dr. Alan Ikeda is the Director of Oncology at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada — one of the programs of Cure 4 the Kids Foundation.  We recruited him from Mattel Children’s Hospital which has an excellent reputation among children’s hospitals in America. He is Board Certified in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and has extensive experience working with children who have undergone bone marrow transplants.  He is the Principal Investigator for several current clinical trials and has received several grants for his research into Sickle Cell disease and Gene therapy.
  • Certain weeks out of the month you may run into Dr. Diane E. Brown or Dr. Katherine Marzan at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada – Las Vegas.  Both are Board Certified Pediatric Rheumatologists offering the kind of expertise that no other doctor – based in Nevada – currently offers.  (There are only 150 Board Certified Pediatric Rheumatologists currently practicing in the entire country, so we feel fortunate to know and work with two of them!) As part of the Visiting Physician Program, The Cure 4 The Kids Foundation pays to transport these doctors to see our patients affected by Lupus, Scleroderma, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and other conditions.  Without Drs. Brown and Marzan, our patients would have to travel to Southern California, or see a local Rheumatologist who is not Board Certified in Pediatric Rheumatology.  We hold nothing against the Rheumatologists in town, but as a parent wouldn’t you want to see someone who specializes in treating kids with these conditions?
  •  Dr Nicola Longo is another of our Visiting Physicians. He is Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Utah and also serves on numerous scientific review committee for the National Institutes of Health.  Like our other visiting physicians, Cure 4 the Kids Foundation pays to bring Dr. Longo to Las Vegas to see patients on a regular basis.  As a noted expert in the field of Genetics, Dr. Longo brings a unique and specialized expertise to our patients that is currently not available in the state.  Along with Dr. Longo, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation is working to expand treatment for those patients with Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD) and several other conditions, so they can be treated locally.

We’re still working to bring more specialists not only to Las Vegas, but eventually to Reno as well.  Thanks again to Dr. B who took the first step in all of this!