The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Right before Franklin native Diane Trivelli lost her 11-year-old daughter, Arielle Anacker, to the rare Ewing’s Sarcoma bone cancer in 2001, she made a promise to her that 10 years later she is continuing to fulfill.
“One mother, one daughter, one promise” is the theme of the Arielle Anacker Cancer Foundation, a non-profit 501 c 3 organization which raises funds to assist needy families struggling with heavy medical and other bills as they cope with childhood cancer.
The fourth annual “Gigging for Gold in Jersey” event, was held Sept 21 in Somerset at the poolside home of Joe and Stella Mitzen, and featured local musicians as well as Trivelli herself, an R&B singer, who performed her single, “Just Never Give Up – The Cancer Fight Song.”
September is Childhood Cancer Month, and in conjunction Trivelli chose to also honor special guests who shared September birthdays. In-kind donations of a buffet dinner and desserts allowed for all ticket proceeds to go directly to the organization.
“Spirit of Giving Awards” were presented by Trivelli to honor three whose efforts were above and beyond the norm. The recipients were Suzanne Juzwiak Raschhofer, for her corporate fundraising effrots, and Joe and Stella Mitzen, for graciously hosting the event.
“I promised my daughter I would try to help other cancer children’s families to not go through what we went through, and that I would do it in her name” Trivelli said.
The foundation, celebrating its 10th year in 2019, is based in Florida, where Trivelli currently resides, and has assisted children in six states, including Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, plus the District of Columbia.
“We work closely with local social workers to identify potential families in need,” she said. “We also work with 12 hospital partners, including the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. We actually now have a family in the Franklin area we can help.”
The Arielle Anacker Cancer Foundation also, in addition to bill-paying, supports Ewing’s Sarcoma research and the four memorial funds set up in Arielle’s name.
To donate: Arielle Anacker cancerfoundation.org.
