For decades, the Concern Foundation has run its signature fundraising event, the annual Block Party, to bring the Los Angeles community together to raise funding for cancer research. The 51st Concern Foundation Block Party was themed “Concern on Safari: Lions, Tigers & ‘Cures,’” and over 4,000 attendees gathered at the iconic Paramount Studios backlot to indulge in culinary delights from over 70 restaurants and vendors from across Los Angeles, enjoy live music and dancing at three different venues across the lot and try their hands at winning fantastic prizes at the silent and live auctions — all to help fund groundbreaking cancer research.
Guests were greeted by music, dancing and a sabertooth tiger from the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum before rounding the corner to safari-themed festivities.
At the main stage, the Concern Foundation honored co-founder and current Board Chair Jackie Gottlieb with the Steve R. Freed Spirit of Concern Volunteer Leadership Award in recognition of her extraordinary dedication and decades of service to the organization. Additionally, the Concern Foundation unveiled a $35,000 check representing a donation to the USC Norris Cancer STEM Partnership Program made in honor of Gottlieb.
Actress and breast cancer survivor Mindy Cohn presided over the live auction for the evening along with Christopher Gialanella, president and publisher of Los Angeles Magazine, one of the event’s sponsors.
During the event, Concern Foundation President Derek Alpert announced that over $2.5 million had already been raised, the highest amount in Concern Foundation history.
In the current political climate, donations to fund research at universities are even more impactful, helping to continue work that has been impeded or even halted by the freeze and rescission of federal funding for scientific research in labs across the country. The Concern Foundation’s Conquer Cancer Now Award, for instance, provides $100,000 per year for up to two years to research in labs specifically related to cancer genetics, cancer biology, and cancer immunology.
An evening of celebration, food and beverages from some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, fantastic prizes up for auction and a mini casino courtesy of the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, the 51st Concern Foundation Block Party raised a historic amount of funding to help further cancer research and get us closer to conquering cancer for good.
