Block O'Toole & Murphy Breaks Fundraising Record at Annual St. Jude Event
Oct 21, 2019, 14:03 ET
NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the evening of October 10, 2019, Block O'Toole & Murphy sponsored the 27th annual St. Jude Autumn Wine Tasting, a fundraising event for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This year, the event raised over $820,000, surpassing last year's record of $750,000.
In the 13 years that the firm has sponsored the event, it has raised over $6,000,000 for St. Jude and its mission of researching cures for pediatric cancer. St. Jude treats children from all 50 states and around the world. They rely largely on donations to continue funding their research, since they never bill a patient's family; they believe the only thing a family should be worried about is the health of their child. Their research has made a major, life-changing impact. According to their website, since the hospital first opened 50 years ago, the survival rate for childhood cancer has increased from 20 percent to more than 80 percent.
It is this purpose and the accompanying results that the team at Block O'Toole & Murphy has supported with zeal for 13 years. Partner Stephen Murphy has served as the event's chairperson since the firm's first involvement, and in February, he was named the St. Jude 2019 Event Chairperson of the Year.
Mr. Murphy organized the event with the help of a fundraising committee, all partners at the firm: Daniel P. O'Toole, Jeffrey A. Block, S. Joseph Donahue, David L. Scher, and Scott Occhiogrosso. This cause is incredibly meaningful to the partners, as both Mr. Murphy and Mr. O'Toole have lost young relatives to cancer.
Over 750 guests attended the event at Gustavino's, enjoying wine donated by 12 wineries, as well as a variety of hors d'oeuvres and food from six restaurants. Mr. Murphy spoke about visiting the St. Jude's campus in Memphis, where he was particularly struck by the optimism of the children there, despite their circumstances. "[The children] looked at tomorrow…like it was an unopened present they couldn't wait to rip open. They had a spirit that…I really couldn't understand how they maintained it. But they did it all, because of St. Jude," he said.
Mr. Murphy emphasized the importance of the event in his closing remarks. "Tonight is the night that we have a chance to make a dent in childhood cancer, and we can do it together, because of those optimistic and brave children…We can do it together tonight, for St. Jude."
About Block O'Toole & Murphy
Block O'Toole & Murphy is a top personal injury law firm in New York, serving victims who have been hurt because of another party's negligence. The firm has recovered over $1 billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients in car crash, construction accident, and other personal injury cases.
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