Taste of Louisiana Celebrates Supporters in the Fight Against Cancer
Event Kick Starts MBPCC’s 18th Annual Golf Tournament
Photo available for download. Captions available at end of release.
(Baton Rouge) – On Monday night, June 2, the Taste of Louisiana -- “The party for a person who really makes a difference in the fight against cancer: You!” was presented by the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center and underwritten by Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. This unique and highly popular evening kicked off six days of golf fund-raising festivities for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, including the WAFB Pro-Am and the Mary Bird Perkins Merrill Lynch Open presented by MAPP Construction and OMNI Bank.
Taste of Louisiana was made possible by the hard work of numerous dedicated volunteers. The event netted almost $110,000. “This incredible record-setting success was made possible by the support of several new corporate sponsors including IMPAC, LUBA, Copy.Doc and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport,” said Jay Lyles, director, corporate and foundation giving, Mary Bird Perkins.
Said Ginger Kurlas, Taste of Louisiana co-chair, “In a time when people don’t have a lot of spare time, I want to give back to something meaningful. Cancer has touched everyone’s life in some way. It’s important to me that Mary Bird Perkins treats people regardless of their economic status. It’s nice to volunteer for an intelligently run event that makes a difference.”
The City of Baton Rouge Proclamation hand-delivered by Mayor Holden the evening of the Taste of Louisiana proclaims June 2-8, 2008 as Mary Bird Perkins Merrill Lynch Open Week. It reads in part that the Center’s annual golf tournament -- begun almost 20 years ago to help provide cancer resources to those in need -- continues to be spearheaded by a team of longstanding and dedicated volunteers and sponsors who are passionate about making a difference in the fight against cancer.
Sponsors of the event and their guests, friends of the Center and golfers scheduled to play in the professional tournament in partnership with the Adams Golf Pro Tour, savored award-winning South Louisiana cuisine from area restaurants and caterers that is the trademark of the Taste of Louisiana. Baton Rouge’s top restaurants and caterers generously providing an array of their signature dishes this year included: Cake Goddess, Chef Don Bergeron Enterprises Premiere Gourmet Catering, Doe’s Eat Place, Fish City, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Galatorie’s Bistro, Hello Sushi, Kona Grill, Mansurs on the Boulevard, On The Half Shell, Sullivan’s, Walk-On’s and Whole Foods. Beverages were courtesy of Mockler Beverage-Budweiser and Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Music was provided by the Jacob Dupre Trio.
Taste of Louisiana Co-Chairs were Ginger Kurlas and Rebecca Nelson. Committee members assisting them were Sara Abercrombie, Ely Anderson, Amy Berret, Kim Ginn, Adele Netterville, Courtney Newbill, Conway Pettit, Brandi Rinaudo, Betina Slataper, Kristen Stafford and Tara Weinstein.
The evening also included a silent and live auction. Auctioneer John Spain and celebrity auction spotter Michael Trufant again paired up to keep things lively while getting the biggest bang for the buck for items like a three-day dove hunt for 13 in Argentina and a seven-night stay for four in a private condo in Park City, Utah.
The evening concluded with a drawing for the winner of a $10,000 raffle. Dottie Comerio was the holder of the lucky ticket.
Taste of Louisiana raised more than $100,000 for Mary Bird Perkins patient services and community outreach programs offered to thousands of people throughout the Center’s 15-parish service area.
About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center:
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been fighting cancer for over 35 years. It is the only nonprofit cancer treatment, education and research facility in Louisiana providing state-of-the-art radiation therapy to all community residents regardless of ability to pay. Mary Bird Perkins has integrated cancer programs with Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in Baton Rouge and St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. These programs are accredited by the American College of Surgeons – the gold standard for community-based cancer care. The Center also enjoys a long-standing relationship with North Oaks Hospital in Hammond.
About the CARE Network:
The mission of the CARE Network (Cancer Support Services, Awareness and Education, Research and Early Detection) is to lessen the burden of cancer in the community. Established in 2002, it is funded by gifts from the community and provides hundreds of programs and services, including free cancer screenings, to thousands of people every year. The research and academic medical physics partnership with MBP and Louisiana State University is also funded in part by the CARE Network. The Center has locations in Baton Rouge, Covington and Hammond.
Photo 1 Caption
Photo cap: (L to R) Todd Stevens, MBPCC; Mike Anderson, OMNI Bank; Gary DeSerrano, Adams Golf; Tony Kurlas, Merrill Lynch.