Happy holidays everyone! Our December Newsletter is here.

It’s almost Christmas. This year has flown by. As we head into the holiday season we just want to recap some of the big things that have been happening here at the Cristian Rivera Foundation over the past month!

If you would like to stay up to date on the daily happenings at CRF make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Just 5 weeks ago we held our 12th Annual Celebrity Gala. We had over 500 people in attendance including many special guests such as Kenan Thompson, Geo Urshela, AJ Calloway, Fredro Starr, and so many more. From the proceeds from the gala, we have donated over $400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Dollars), to research, trials, and family support. Nights like these are when we show the direct results from coming together so we can make a massive impact in the lives of those affected by DIPG. We are all so thankful for everyone that attended or supported the gala.

This past Giving Tuesday we were able to give over $300,000 to our medical partner Dr. Mark M. Souweidane. This is our largest single donation and the largest donation ever given to the Weill Cornell for Dr. Mark’s work by a single nonprofit. We also stopped by Mount Sinai to bring a check to another of our medical partners, Dr. Oren Becher. These donations will help advance research and bring us closer to our goal of ending DIPG once and for all.

We have an amazing 12th annual celebrity gala highlight video up on our YouTube channel! View how special that night was and see some of our DIPG warriors, how great everyone looked, and how much we can do when we all come together. Whether you were in attendance or not, view the video at bit.ly/CRFHV!

Along with the video we also have an incredible gallery of photos, from the 12th Annual Celebrity Gala, up on our website.

Make sure to head to cristianriverafoundation.org
to check it out and see if you can spot yourself!

Vanessa Rodriguez We would like to congratulate Vanessa Rodriguez for moving up to Committee Member. Vanessa has been on our board since 2017 and has been such a productive member. Vanessa is a Real estate professional who has run in the NYC Marathon. She brings her family and friends to join her at our 5K’s to help support CRF. We are so proud of Vanessa.
	Michael V Narvaez Congratulations to Michael V Narvaez for being moved up to Committee Friend. He is inspired by the quote “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” After the recent loss of his family member, Santiago Buther, Michael wanted to help make DIPG a thing of the past.

From everyone at CRF, we hope you have an incredible holiday season! This time of year is always filled with special moments with friends, family, and loved ones. We wish everyone an incredible time filled with happiness and health.

We are so grateful for all of our DIPG Warriors, families, and supporters. We understand that what we are up against can seem incredibly difficult, but we want you to know that everything you do makes a big difference in the lives of others. 2021 was our biggest year to date and we are gearing up for even a bigger 2022! So, thank you again to our CRF Family. We love you all 10!

The mission of the Cristian Rivera Foundation is to help find the cure for
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG),
an inoperable and incurable brain stem tumor.

Sincerely,
Cristian Rivera Foundation