Mark Rosner is an energetic and experienced businessman, born and raised in New York City. He graduated from York College and is the manager of Compucolor Associates, Inc.
Although Mr. Rosner runs a printing company now, he got his start as a nightclub owner, which is how he met CRF Founder, John Gungie Rivera, in 1980. One thing led to another, and soon, the shift into the printing business had seen the company printing for 95% of the clubs in New York City. Although the world now runs on social media, and the majority of clubs have shifted to digital marketing, Rosner happily caters to businesses still relying on printing. He has been one of the key members of CRF since the early beginning and was recommended by Mr. John Rivera himself.
Mark’s company helps the Cristian Rivera Foundation by printing programs and providing tickets and posters for the events. These services are incredibly helpful to the foundation. Mr. Rosner’s hard work pays off every year when his printed products are able to be enjoyed by all at the 5K, Boat Ride, and Gala.
Rosner feels that the main issue with DIPG is that not many people know what it is. To him, getting the word out is extremely vital. He has seen children in his own life lose the battle to DIPG due to a lack of knowledge about the disease. A young family member of his passed away from DIPG while everyone in his family thought it was a brain tumor. He believes that with proper education and information about DIPG, we can help prolong the lives of children with DIPG and eventually find a cure. Rosner personally knew our beloved Cristian Rivera, and revealed that “He was a character, just like his father!”. His special connection to Cristian and the foundation has informed his decision to continue his work for the foundation 13 years later.
Rosner jokingly said “I am a little too old for the Hip Hop Boat Ride” but he absolutely loves the Gala. The CRF Celebrity Gala is his favorite event of the year. He believes that the gala brings everyone together and assured us that it is a welcoming experience. This year, for the upcoming gala, Mr. Rosner is getting a table at the Gala and going with his whole family: his wife, Leslie, and his three children, Rachel, Carly, and Adam. While working with CRF, Mark Rosner realized that tomorrow is not promised to anybody. He said, “You are here today, but the next day is unpredictable. So, live life to the fullest every day!”
Mark reminded us that DIPG cannot be prevented due to the nature of the disease. Therefore, everyone should care about CRF and the work the foundation is doing to care for families and find a cure so that another child does not have to deal with this disease alone. CRF for Mr. Rosner means “hope” and he said that “we as people should always be engaged in taking care of everyone, especially children, because they are the future of this world,”. He hopes that through the efforts of this organization, we will be able to raise awareness about this dreadful disease that most people are unaware of. He hopes that through CRF’s efforts, there will be kids who get diagnosed and receive therapy that will save their lives as a result of early recognition. He believes that new treatments will be discovered as a result of clinical trials, allowing this dreadful disease to be eradicated.
Mr. Mark Rosner very much believes that we can achieve CRF’s mission of eradicating DIPG from this world, but we cannot do it alone, which is why the help and support of everyone who works with the foundation is critical. Thank you so much to Mark for taking the time out of his busy day to interview with us. His incredible work for the foundation is making a difference, and we are so glad to have him on our team. Full Steam Ahead!
By Keiyara Vanhook
