Casino Night Benefits Childhood Cancer

The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors recently held a Casino Night Fundraiser titled “Heaven’s Work in Sin City” at the Indian Trail Club. Attendees played blackjack, roulette and craps and enjoyed great food, cocktails and fabulous prizes, all in memory of a local boy with a tremendous spirit.

At age 2, Matt Larson was diagnosed with choroid plexus carcinoma, an extremely rare form of brain cancer. He passed away in 2007, after a five-year fight that included nearly year-long hospital stays, radiation treatments, remissions and recurrences. 

His family and friends started the foundation four years ago, while Matt was still sick. One of the families best friends, Kirsten Kincade competed in triathlons, set out to raise money through her participation in Ironman Triathlons — hence the foundation's nickname "IronMatt."   

The casino night fundraiser included a VIP Poker Tournament with exclusive premium wine donated by Sean Duffy. Hartgers Jewelers outfitted the dozen Ramapo High School senior volunteers with bling that was for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the Foundation. 

"Roulette, Craps and Blackjack tables were bustling with energy and lots of fun," IronMatt trustee JoAnn Romano told Patch. "Chips were cashed in for tickets and the chance to win many great prizes including catering, jewelry, U2 and show tickets and a day at Monticello Race track."

Most of the sponsors of the event including Tech Link, Goldberg Financial, Inserra, supermarkets Excel, Riccio Salon, Prestige BMW, Worldwide Ferrari, Cole Schotz, and TD Bank attended the event and stayed the night.

Since its inception, and due to the generous support of the local community, IronMatt has raised more than $3.5 million and offers annual medical research grants to institutions and programs that meet the application criteria of the foundation's Medical Advisory Committee. 

For more information, visit www.ironmatt.org or contact Kirsten Kincade at kkincade@ironmatt.org or (201) 638-7026.