Past beNeFits
Thank you to all who participated!
Enjoy the recap below of beNeFit III!
Not a day goes by that we don’t think of the magic present the evening of November 7th in downtown Detroit. Because of you and over 1,500 other charitable and caring people who attended beNeFit III gala, we raised a record $5.1 million for the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF.org) to fund critical research to fight the terrible genetic condition known as neurofibromatosis (NF). We know there are generous people all over the country, but it seems like the special brand of success displayed that night could only happen in Detroit, where you will find far more generous people in one place at one time than you will find anywhere. But that was just the start.
The event also brought a deeper level of awareness of NF, and the bold fight to end it, to all of those who attended. beNeFit III created a connection to real people impacted by NF, such as Brianna Worden, our Strength and Honor Award recipient. The courage and self-assurance of this 18-year-old college student who has faced overwhelming challenges in her young life will always be remembered by those of us who watched the video of her life and witnessed this remarkable young woman tell her story live at the event. Numerous people have pointed out to me how much she impacted them, when midway through her remarks, she stopped, paused, went off script, looked into each soul in the audience and with an authentic smile said: “Sorry, I’m just so honored to be here. It’s amazing.” Brianna let us all know how much she appreciated just the opportunity to be up there telling her story. What was most “amazing” was actually Brianna Worden and her entire being. Goosebumps.
The only misstep of NF’s victims such as Brianna was to draw the wrong numbers in the genetic lottery. We are more than confident that with the power of caring people such as yourselves, combined with the courage of those burdened with the unlucky draw like Ms. Worden, NF will one day soon be a history lesson.
We are humbled by the turnout and the results. Whether you were able to attend the gala, or could not make it and still chose to contribute to this very worthy cause, we simply cannot thank you enough. You have our deepest appreciation and unending gratitude for your participation and support.