Thank you to the 750 attendees and over 100 volunteers who supported the Courageous Families at the 8th Annual NEGU Gala – A Celebration of Courageous Smiles!
Oh, what a night to remember…
The 8thAnnual NEGU Gala- A Celebration of Courageous Smiles, was held on Saturday evening at the Disneyland® Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Benefitting the Jessie Rees Foundation, the Gala welcomed over 750 supporters, over 100 volunteers as well as 46 Courageous Families who have heard the devastating phrase, “Your child has cancer.”
The evening honored a number of individuals and companies who decided to take Jessie’s NEGU challenge and help in extraordinary ways. Each of them received a “Jessie Award” – a symbol that represents courage, commitment and compassion. The same three things Jessie modeled during her fight. A Jessie Award was given to each of the Courageous Families that were in attendance. Jessie awards also were presented to: Nations Direct Mortgage – Compassionate Company, Jordan Palmer – Humanitarian, Melinda Heights Elementary School – Community Impact and Jaime Serna – Caregiver of the Year.
The success of the Gala event was due in part to the sponsors and in-kind donors, contributors to the Silent and Live Auctions and the many volunteers who gave so generously of their time and talents. The evening raised over $300,000 in support of Jessie’s Mission. Sponsors of the event included: Youtheory®, OPTUM Care™, Nations Direct Mortgage, UPS™, Apriem Advisors, Kenny the Printer ®, Total Wine® & More, Toyota – Los Angeles Region and FivePoint®. Supporting the Foundation and in attendance were a number of NEGU All-Star Athletes including: Johnny Stanton – NFL Fullback, Josh Allen- Buffalo Bills, Kyle Allen – Carolina Panthers, Nick Vannett – Seattle Seahawks, Jordan Palmer – former NFL player and Kaitlin Sandeno Hogan, 4-time Olympic swimming medalist and Jessie Rees Foundation National Spokesperson.
Save the Date for the 9thAnnual NEGU Gala – A Celebration of Courageous Smiles, to be held on March 14, 2020.
“Because of this one event each year, we get to send JoyJars to thousands of Courageous Kids fighting cancer around the world. Most importantly, this means we get to start a relationship with a child and a family, so we can provide them the needed long-term support and encouragement so they Never Ever Give Up!” – Erik Rees, Jessie’s Daddy
Registration opens in 2020
Become a Sponsor
Auction Donations
Gala Sponsors
Registration opens in 2020
Plan now to attend and celebrate more courageous SMILES!
Become a Sponsor
2019 sponsor details below. 2020 opportunities to be released later this year. You can contact allie@jessie.org with any questions you may have.
Auction Donations
2020 auction opportunities coming soon. However, you can contact Nora@jessie.org with any questions now.
Gala Sponsors
We are so thankful for the generous support of our past gala sponsors!!
