#Walk With Sally with Rocco Deluca raised over $84,000! Awesome night!

By Joy A. Kennelly

As promised, here's the final wrap up details of the wonderful Walk With Sally fundraiser featuring the music of Rocco Deluca, the tireless efforts of Founder Nick Arquette, with hosts KTLA Newscaster, Mary Beth McDade, South Bay BMW, Ryan Choura, and everyone involved who really created a wonderful experience for all who participated.

From left to right: Actor Scott Elrod, KTLA Newscaster, MaryBeth McDade, and Walk With Sally Founder, Nick Arquette

Numerous celebrities were in attendance including Scott Elrod, Brandon Molale, Peter Berg, Danny Arroyo, KTLA weatherwoman Jackie Johnson and boxer Sergio Mora.

Here's Sergio.

I'm just going to copy here and there from the press release (because it's easier and more accurate.:)

"The charity is proud to announce that the evening raised in excess of $84,000, which will be utilized to expand its mentorship program for children whose parents or siblings are fighting or have died from cancer.

'We are so thrilled with the response that White Light White Night has received from the community,' says Nick Arquette, founder of Walk With Sally. 'The event has become a can’t-miss party on Angelenos’ calendars, but it also provides an opportunity to remind the community of the deeply broken lives of so many Los Angeles families due to cancer. This year’s event not only provided a great fundraising opportunity, but also invited new mentors, volunteers and corporate partners to get involved with our programs.'

Over 600 guests attended and enjoyed "some of the hottest restaurants and bars in the South Bay including H Mucho, Zinc Lounge, Twelve and Highland, Buona Vita, Four Daughters, Memphis Café, Sylvio’s, Gonpachi, and desserts from Gotta Have S’More."

MaryBeth and Ryan Choura did a great job with the live auction portion of the evening. Here they're auctioning off the all-inclusive “Andean Experience” with luxury travel service Luxury Link which was rather funny because Ryan kept insisting MaryBeth's boyfriend buy it for $5,000, but then MaryBeth would insist Ryan buy it for his anniversary.

I'm not sure who actually ended up with it to be honest.:) I've been to Machu Picchu and it's definitely a trip of a lifetime! I was a child when we were there as a family, yet I remember Peru vividly. It's a magical country.

MaryBeth McDade and Ryan Choura on stage

 Highlights of the evening included a video montage of Walk With Sally children and their mentors, the signature moment of “White Light blessing” where guests are encouraged by Arquette to envision a “white light” healing loved ones affected by cancer, the traditional “Stand Up For A Kid” where guests have the opportunity to sponsor one child in the program for a full-year and Rocco DeLuca’s moving hour-long one-man set that included a breathtaking performance of his hit song “Colorful.” 

Following the success of this year’s event, Walk With Sally looks to expand its footprint even further into the greater L.A. area, allowing for more families to participate in the mentorship programs and offering more opportunities for volunteers to give back. It is estimated that it takes about $1000 of funding per child to sponsor them through the Walk With Sally program for a year.   

 Arquette reflects, “For many of our kids, their mentors are the only consistent adult role models that they have. As the cancer takes its toll on the family, the kids are forced to face the pain of moving households, entering foster care and even the devastating death of a loved one.  If we can continue to brighten the life of one child at a time, then our hard work is worth it.”

To find out more about being a mentor Walk With Sally mentor or benefactor, visit HUwww.walkwithsally.orgUH.