Red carpet with a cause: This fashion show fundraiser helps kids with cancer
They are not sisters in the literal sense, but the women who run the Red Carpet Warriors fundraiser have such a tight bond that sisterhood is the only suitable description.
The group’s annual benefit brims with as much energy and extravagance as a Hollywood awards ceremony, though instead of gold-plated trophies, it provides tens of thousands of dollars to children with cancer.
It is now a life purpose for Paula Corrieri, of Wayne, whose 15-year-old son, Rocco Sivolella, died of acute myeloid leukemia in 2022.
“I feel like we met for a reason,” she said of her friends. “I think there’s a reason that we came together.”
The Red Carpet Warriors fundraiser, to be held on May 17 at Bottagra Restaurant & Bar on Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne, is a youth fashion show.
Sixty-five child models, including the varsity football team from Wayne Valley High School, where Rocco was a student-athlete, will walk the length of an 80-foot runway in front of 400 guests.
That is only the half of it.
Ottis Anderson, a retired NFL running back who starred for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV, will emcee a live auction where prizes include a Louis Vuitton handbag and a six-person villa vacation in Bali.
There will also be a moment of silent reflection in Rocco’s memory: the event happens to fall on the two-year anniversary of his death.
The benefit will assist families of four children.
Marko Dobre, 17, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in November. He is an ambitious teenager from Totowa, and in spite of his serious illness, the nonprofit says he remains determined.
Liam Frerichs, of Wayne, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after he had a high-grade fever two months ago. The 6-year-old boy enjoys dreaming about his future and exploring nature.
Rosie McKenna, 5, has fought a rare type of brain cancer for most of her life. She is a playful girl from Havertown, Pennsylvania, and she still laughs even though she has endured three brain surgeries and requires chemotherapy each day.
Sofie Stokes, of Totowa, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after she experienced leg pain in July. The 13-year-old girl loves to hang out with friends and to play softball.
“It means the world for me to help them,” Corrieri said. “If there’s a silver lining to this story, for me, it would be to be able to help others.”
Two groups combine to help families battle childhood cancer
Corrieri is the most recent addition to the fundraising group.
It was co-founded under another name by Maria Chomenko, Kimberly Gerena and Jessica Myers.
Chomenko, of Elmwood Park, and Gerena, of Wayne, met about 30 years ago as children on a school bus in Hawthorne.
Gerena, the owner of Flourish Salon & Spa on High Mountain Road in North Haledon, and Chomenko, an employee there, approached Myers with an idea for a fundraiser to help her nephew, Liam Márquez, who was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, eight weeks after he was born.
They decided it should be a fashion show.
Myers, a Wayne native who lives in Little Falls, had quit her jobs to help her sister care for Liam, who died in August at 3 years old. Myers now works at her boyfriend’s car dealership, Grand Motor Sales on Union Avenue in Paterson.
Even at a preschool age, Myers said, Liam dreamed of being a first responder. Days after he died, he received a posthumous tribute when he was enlisted as an honorary firefighter and an honorary police officer in Little Falls.
“I never realized how bad childhood cancer was until I went to the oncology floor of the hospital,” Myers said. “You see the commercials, but until you witness it for yourself, you don’t realize it.”
The charity that Myers created in her nephew’s memory, Liam’s Warriors, collaborated with Gerena’s salon and Corrieri’s foundation, Remembering Rocco, to launch Red Carpet Warriors. The organization became a certified nonprofit three months ago.
'Very thankful' to be able to give back
A past recipient of the charity's generosity will give back in his own way this year.
Nolan Peña, now 13, discovered a golf ball-sized lump in his armpit and, at first, thought nothing of it. Doctors surprised the family by confirming that it was Hodgkin lymphoma.
The boy, who is in eighth grade at Anthony Wayne Middle School on Garside Avenue in Wayne, will participate in the fashion show while his cancer is in remission.
The event is something to look forward to after a difficult year, his father, also named Nolan Peña, said.
“He’s really happy and very thankful for everyone who helped him,” Peña said.
Most proceeds from last year's Red Carpet Warriors donated to the Peñas were spent on treatment — at-home injections, called Neulasta, which Nolan needed to replenish white blood cells. The shots were costly and, according to Peña, not covered by medical insurance.
Peña said leftover funds were used for a two-day trip to Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, when the family visited the Sunshine State in August.
Prior to his diagnosis, the younger Nolan played a lot of sports.
It will take some time, dad Peña said, before his son returns to full strength. He said he bought Nolan a new basketball for Christmas, hoping that the gift would boost his confidence.
“He wants to be more active,” Peña said. “He’s starting to realize that it’s OK to push himself a little more.”
'Simple things' can help one of this year's recipients
Lillian Dobre said she fell to a low point before Corrieri reached out to tell her that Red Carpet Warriors wanted to honor her eldest son, Marko, as a beneficiary.
The 17-year-old student-athlete at DePaul Catholic High School on Alps Road in Wayne was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in November. He is finishing his remaining credits through home instruction, and his mother said he still wants to go to the senior prom this month.
“It was really kind,” said Dobre, of Totowa. “It was nice to have that support.”
Dobre said she is optimistic that Marko will feel well enough to attend the fundraiser.
“Sometimes, you just want to lay low and get through this dark time,” Dobre said. “But in another sense, it’ll be a nice night out for him.”
Marko sat out of the fall soccer season and the current lacrosse season.
The past six months have been a painful stretch, but Dobre said the family will do something special for Marko when the time is right. She said an afternoon at American Dream, the gigantic retail center in East Rutherford, would be a welcome diversion.
With a laugh, Dobre said: “I’d have to bring him down to Earth a little. I’d have to tell him that he’s not getting a Maserati. We’re looking for simple things again.”
Corrieri recalled her conversation with Dobre, noting that she said she would always be available to lend an ear.
“Even if she just wants to scream and yell,” Corrieri said. “I know where she is, right now, on this journey.”
Event details
WHEN: From 6-10 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
WHERE: Bottagra Restaurant & Bar, at 80 Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne.
HOW MUCH: The cost is $175 per ticket, or $1,750 for a table of 10 guests.
SPONSORSHIPS: Options range from $500 to $5,000.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit redcarpetwarriors.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Red Carpet Warriors fashion show fundraiser helps kids with cancer
