The 23rd Annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels and Stars Gala Raises $900,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the evening of May 3rd, the stars aligned at the Hotel InterContinental for the 23rd annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels and Stars Gala. The event benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ® brought together St. Jude patient families, numerous celebrities, and South Florida's most dedicated philanthropic community members. Together, they celebrated the remarkable achievements of St. Jude since its founding in 1962 and raised over $900,000 to ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live. Sponsors included FedEx, Genesis Fortune, LLC, and Bomnin Automotive Group, among others.
The FedEx/St. Jude Angels and Stars Gala began as an ambitious dream twenty-three years ago. Today, it continues to inspire philanthropists who unite to support the St. Jude mission of advancing cures and prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.
This year's gala featured keynote speaker Dr. Victor Torres, Chair, Department of Host-Microbe Interactions, who spoke to guests about the incredible progress being made daily at St. Jude and how its groundbreaking research is shared globally. Guests also enjoyed a captivating performance by The Culture Band and an exciting live auction, which includes Paris Fashion Week tickets to the Givenchy Fashion Show and Private Celebrity Chef Dinner experiences by renowned chefs Lorena Garcia and Jesus Diaz.
Celebrity attendees included TelevisaUnivision anchor Pamela Silva, Sientese Quien Pueda's Stephanie Himonidis, En Casa Con Telemundo's Carlos Adyan, Chef Jesus Diaz, Chef Lorena Garcia and many more.
Donate to St. Jude at www.stjude.org/angelsandstars
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ®
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
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Supplied 'I want revenge for how I was treated.' Despite this messy history, Crystal's experience with the court was forever imprinted onto her self-image. She hopes to one day launch a safe-space for people to appreciate vampire culture. Medical mystery Crystal's disturbing account is not unlike a scene in a horror movie, where vampires lunge from the shadows and maul victims' necks before sucking on the flowing wine-like liquid. 16 In the movies, vampires lunge and maul victims' necks for their flowing, wine-like liquid. copy photo It's important to note that vampiric crime is rare, and abusers of power are far from unique to the courts. For most members, this community offers a sense of belonging, and some courts are heavily involved with charity causes. Not all 'real vampires' feed on blood. And for those who do, the practice is traditionally safe. So how does it work? 16 Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. Universal Studios What's known as a 'donor' will willingly offer their blood to a vampire. Both take medical tests and other precautions. Complications are rare. Which is fine. But it begs another question: why? Real vampires claim they feel sick and lethargic if they don't feed on human blood. It balances their energy. 16 Movie poster for 'Dracula 'starring Bela Lugosi. AP Some believe this thirst for blood is a sign of a deeper mental health problem. So is it all a big delusion? When vampires follow a code of silence, it's not easy to say. But that secrecy is well founded. They've learned the hard way their lifestyle inspires revulsion. That's why this community stays in the shadows. Most Australian vampires I contacted for this story declined to take part in it. One local fanged figure you need to know is Jason De Marco, otherwise known as Don Jason. Don Jason runs the Sydney Vampires Meetup Group. He's also an electioneering member of the Liberal Party, bringing new meaning to the idea of a bloodsucking politician. At least this one is honest. In a YouTube video made by married artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, Jason is seen wearing Edwardian-era clothing, surgically-enhanced fangs, and a wide smile. Among the graves of Waverley cemetery, he says Don Jason first knew what he was aged four. 'I was different from other children' Jason said. 'I said I'm going to grow up and be Dracula.' 16 'I said I'm going to grow up and be Dracula,' Don Jason, who runs the Sydney Vampires Meetup Group, said. Gillie and Marc/Youtube He says he drinks exclusively from the razor-sliced thighs of female donors. They don't just consent to this feeding. They're aroused by it. 'They seem to get an orgasm off it every time,' he claimed. 'People can assume we're insane: why do you have this need to drink blood?' 16 'People can assume we're insane: why do you have this need to drink blood?' Don Jason says. Gillie and Marc/Youtube 'The only thing I have to worry about is my innate illness, which was ironically an illness associated with the vampire myth.' 'My vitals can shut down and I look like a corpse. People who had it used to be buried alive.' Marc Schattner said Don Jason suffers from porphyria, a rare blood disorder thought to have inspired early vampire mythology. 16 Marc Schattner said Don Jason suffers from porphyria, a rare blood disorder thought to have inspired early vampire mythology. Gillie and Marc/Youtube 'It can cause symptoms like extreme sensitivity to sunlight, skin blisters, and a reddish-purple discoloration,' he says. Jason is an extreme example. Some people just like vampires for a good old-fashioned doof. 'Not merely an event' The dawn of the vampire ball is misty. Sometime during the rise of Europe's medieval masquerade balls, a darker event emerged in honour of the undead. 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AP He dwells on the sprawling grounds of Bran 'Dracula's' Castle in Romania's Transylvania. With these walls, Bathory drinks donated blood. Sometimes sleeps in a coffin. And channels Vlad the Impaler. 'It's not merely an event' Bathory says. 'It's a portal.' Bathory is the leader of the Ordo Dracul, a vampire court based in Transylvania. And he says more and more Aussies are signing up. 16 Bran Castle towers above Bran commune, in Brasov county. via REUTERS 'New initiates are joining from Australia. Some of my dearest allies come from Melbourne and the Gold Coast,' he said. 'Australia resonates with the old blood.' Bathory believes these vampires thrive in silence. 'Just because we're not loud, doesn't mean we're not present. In our world we prefer to walk the line of shadows.' 16 Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle, in the Carpathian Mountains. REUTERS 'Realise their full potential' The University of Western Sydney's Dr Adam Possamai charted the rise of real vampires in his book Sociology of Religion for Generations X and Y. He believes it's a 'hyper-real religion' – a modern hybrid of religion, philosophy and popular culture that helps people find their identity in a noisy world. 'The vampire is no longer a monster that needs to be destroyed,' he said. 'It's now a superman-type of character that people aspire to become to realise their full potential. 'As society becomes more consumerist, I expect hyper-real religions like vampires to grow. But it's tricky to quantify.' 'Are they people who identify with the image alone? How far do their practices go? And how long will they keep them up?' Though Australian vampire groups have picked up thousands of members on social media, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said in a statement they don't formally recognise vampires. 'Vampires don't describe a stand-alone group in any of the statistical standard classifications used to disseminate Census data,' a spokesperson said. 'The ABS regularly reviews statistical standard classifications and holds public consultations to ensure standard classifications reflect the Australian community.' Until vampires are socially acknowledged, we'll never know how many of them walk among us or what secrets they hold. Nelson Groom is a freelance writer. His novel The Auction is coming soon. Learn more on his Instagram Got a story? Get in touch: nelsonsamuelgroom@
