The Rally Foundation wanted to find a way to support children who are currently fighting or who have fought cancer. The solution was a special day all their own. The nonprofit held its eighth annual Rally On the Runway at The Stave Room at American Spirit Works with Atlanta Falcons players and NFL alumni. Led by Vic Beasley, the event was to raise money for childhood cancer research.
The foundation first held an intimate Day of Pampering for the Rally Kid models and their mothers. The girls were picked up at their homes in Bentleys and arrived to a red carpet/fanfare and “papparazi” at Bloomingdale’s at Lenox Square. They were then given VIP pampering treatment with their moms to help them prep for the big runway show.
The event featured 11 Rally Kids between the ages of four and 23, who made their modeling debuts, in addition to 15 Rally Kid alumni models, who first walked the runway in previous years.
The runway show brought together families, children and athletes, “to raise money for childhood cancer research, give the Rally families a special memory and provide the grassroots ways to help,” said Dean Crowe, founder and CEO of Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.
Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of kids ages 0 to 15, according to organizers. Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, a nonprofit organization, empowers volunteers across the country to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures.
Kristen Sorrell, 13, is beating blood cancer. She has participated in Rally on The Runway since 2010.
“This event is always a blast and it is definitely my favorite event of the year. My favorite part was getting to be backstage and encourage the other kids still kicking cancer’s butt!” said Sorrell. “Not only is it great to raise money for the cause, but it’s even better for the kids to have a break and actually be able to be kids.”
This year’s event raised more than $280,000 for childhood cancer research, the most a Rally On the Runway event has ever raised. Since its founding in 2005, Rally has awarded more than $11 million in grants funding 252 research projects.
“I hope the guests were inspired by the strength of the Rally Kid models and their incredibly long, hard journeys and that they learned about the desperate need for childhood cancer research funding,” said Crowe. “Mostly, I hope that the Rally families took away how much they are loved and memories that will last a lifetime.”
Information: RallyFoundation.org
About the Author
