The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation » News and Updates

Town and Country Honored Valerie Sobel as a Woman Who Makes a Difference

realpolitech — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:19:21 +0000

Valerie Sobel, Founder and President of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, was honored this last week at the second annual “Women Who Make A Difference Award” by Town & Country Magazine. Sobel was honored for her inspirational and visionary work founding the only national nonprofit that provides urgent financial assistance to single parents of catastrophically ill children so that the parent can remain by the child’s bedside. Financial relief is provided within 24 hours.

Town & Country has partnered with Longines, the Swiss watch company, to celebrate extraordinary women who have made an impact on children’s lives.

Sobel was recognized at a prestigious awards dinner at the Hearst Tower in New York City on September 1, hosted by tennis legend, philanthropist and Longines ambassador Stefanie Graf and Town & Country Editor-at-Large Pamela Fiori. As part of the honor, the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation will be featured in the magazine’s February 2011 issue.

See news coverage of the event here: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=134963

“When a child has a medical crisis or is faced with a terminal diagnosis, it is not business as usual,” says Sobel. “Compassion can’t wait when the family’s finances also spiral into crisis and the struggling parent must choose between working or being with their child,”–a choice Sobel believes no parent should have to make. ”If we can ease a moment’s pain for a family, we will not hesitate or procrastinate,” she emphasizes.

Town & Country (www.townandcountrymag.com) is America’s longest continuously published general-interest magazine. Today, it is the premier luxury lifestyle magazine in America, edited for the country’s most sophisticated, affluent and accomplished women. Watchmaker Longines can look back on more than 175 years of non-stop craftsmanship, as well as a solid heritage as timekeeper for world championships in various sports and collaborator with different international sports federations.

We are excited to share this honor, and thank you for your continued support of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation and our community of single parent families. As Valerie says, “To see with the heart is to know what is essential, and to help as one breathes is to help with urgency and without effort.”

ASRL Selected as an Associates in Action Grantee

realpolitech — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:59:54 +0000

ASRL has been selected as a recipient of a $500.00 Associates in Action grant through the Kohl’s Department Store in Moreno Valley. Thanks Kohl’s!

Come Visit Our Booth at the Weekly Street Festival in Claremont Tonight

realpolitech — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:31:07 +0000

If you are in the California Inland Empire area, come visit us in Claremont tonight at the weekly street festival, starting at 5 p.m. Meet our wonderful team of interns and find out ways to become more involved.

The festival is located off Second Street and Indian Hill Blvd.

Hope to see you there!

Check Out This Message From NFL Star & Dad Lorenzo Neal

realpolitech — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:36:41 +0000

The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation is thankful to have supporters like NFL Star and Dad Lorenzo Neal. Check out a video below of Lorenzo Neal talking about his own experiences as a parent and empowering young people to make a difference in the lives of the hundreds of families currently struggling.

Hang Tight Essay Contest Entrants!

realpolitech — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:54:24 +0000

Update: Announcement of Winners

We are thrilled to have received over 200 entries in the 2010 Andre Sobel Award contest. Due to this unusually high volume of entries, we are pushing back the announcement of the winners. We want to make sure to give ample time to carefully consider each entry, as we know how much care and time has gone into preparing them. Please stand by, we will announce the winners at the end of July!

Thank you for your patience,

All of us at ASRL

Dedications 2 Dads: A Letter from Dad & Board Member Tim Holcer

realpolitech — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:55:03 +0000

I am a father, a member of the Board of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, and a donor to its cause.

Of all these roles, it is as a father that I know firsthand the importance of the Foundation’s mission. ASRL gives “the gift of time” to single parents, by paying their urgent expenses, so that they can stay at the bedside of their catastrophically ill child…sometimes in their last days.

When our teenage daughter Jennie spent months in the hospital after an automobile accident, we saw firsthand the strain on families blindsided by medical trauma. We were lucky. Jennie had the best doctors, a father with excellent health insurance, and my wife, Marilyn, could be at Jennie’s side. We also had a supportive network of family and friends, allowing us to juggle the many challenges of being with Jennie and not losing sight of how our son Tim was dealing with this trauma as well.

As Jennie struggled with her long recovery, Marilyn and I would often turn to each other and ask, “What about parents who are alone? What about families without insurance? What happens to single dads who do not have a supportive network or a sympathetic employer?”

“Who makes sure these families do not lose their home, their job and their child?”

When we heard about the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, we knew we must get involved as a family.

I have joined the board, and this past year our family set up a new ASRL program at Memorial Children’s Hospital in our hometown of Chicago.

As we approach Father’s Day, I look forward to spending the afternoon with my family: my lovely wife, Marilyn, Jennie, her husband Brian, Tim and his wife Jessie, and our grandson Dylan. I will be thinking of the fathers who are spending the day with their sick children in a hospital. They are the ones who need our help now – as they struggle to comfort and support their child, keep food on the table, gas in the car and their families filled with hope.

Our best gifts come from the heart. What do you give to a dad who has everything?

I am a dad who makes heartfelt gifts to the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. I challenge you to do the same – make a heartfelt gift to honor a favorite dad or friend – AND help struggling fathers who will benefit so greatly from your generous support!

Marilyn and I, and all of us at ASRL, send you our best wishes, and our appreciation.

With thanks,

Tim Holcer

Board Treasurer, ASRL

NFL Star Lorenzo Neal Joins ASRL for Project Reverberate

realpolitech — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:12:53 +0000

NFL Star Lorenzo Neal joined the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation in the launch of Project Reverberate on June 2, 2010 at LA Live. Speaking to over two hundred guests from across Southern California, Lorenzo Neal spoke of the importance of youth seizing hold of their capacity to make a difference.

Enjoy some event photos:

Celebrity Guest Traci Hines on Project Reverberate Launch Party

realpolitech — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:29:51 +0000

Check out this video from Traci Hines who will be joining us tonight for the Project Reverberate Launch Party in Los Angeles. You can still buy your tickets now at projectreverberate.eventbrite.com.

CSUSB Student Eddie Hahn: The Gift of Time

realpolitech — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:28:20 +0000

Our team at ASRL wanted to share a wonderful piece written by Eddie Hahn, a student from California State University, San Bernardino, who has been volunteering with ASRL doing media outreach for Project Reverberate, a youth awareness initiative being launched by the Foundation. Eddie’s insights reflect the importance of the work that you, our ASRL community, help contribute to.

Project Reverberate: The Gift of Time

By Eddie Hahn

I used to run marathons in an endeavor to complete 26.2 miles in the shortest time possible. Now that I am older, I don’t run fast anymore. My goal is simply to “finish” a marathon. After all, only a small percentage of people have ever completed that distance. Time no longer matters. In fact, sometimes the longer I take, the better. The extra time allows me to meet and to encourage a first time marathoner who otherwise may not finish.

There is a group for whom time matters a great deal. For parents of a dying child or a child with a catastrophic illness, time is the most precious thing they have. One organization gives the “Gift of Time”—the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL). Based in Los Angeles, ASRL provides urgent financial assistance for mundane things like light bills, rent, and even groceries, so that a parent doesn’t have to make the unbearable choice between sitting by a sick child’s bed and going to work. Many families in the Inland Empire have been supported by the Foundation in their time of need. As the parent of a three-year old boy and a five-year old girl, I cannot imagine nor put into words what I might feel were I a recipient.

Eddie and his family.

In its tenth year of operation, ASRL has provided almost $4 million in assistance to 3,100 families in 21 states. Many of these families live among us in the Inland Empire quietly struggling through an extremely difficult time.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, from 8-11 p.m., there will be a celebration to kick-off a national campaign to increase awareness of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. Project Reverberate: Echoing the Sounds of Hope, begins with a launch party at the Target Terrace in Downtown Los Angeles across the street from the Staples Center. Rock vocalist Kara Aubrey, a recent CSU San Bernardino graduate and generational ambassador, will be performing at the event. Tickets are $30 and include food, entertainment, refreshments, a silent auction and mingling with celebrities. Tickets and/or donations can be made online at: http://projectreverberate.eventbrite.com. Please buy a ticket or make a donation today. All proceeds go to the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.

Project Reverberate LA Awareness Event & Fundraiser

realpolitech — Sat, 15 May 2010 23:52:50 +0000

Join the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation for the Project Reverberate Launch Party! Click Here to Buy Tickets or Donate Today!

Combining music, media and a powerful message, “To challenge a generation to “do well by doing good,” Project Reverberate is a grassroots initiative spearheaded by students at California State University, San Bernardino, and “The Friends of Andre” to spread awareness about the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. Kara Aubrey, an inspiring vocal artist and new generation ambassador, is set to challenge her generation to reach for a mission beyond themselves.

The Project Reverberate Launch Party on June 2, 2010, at the Target Terrace in Los Angeles is the catalyst event to expand the nationwide awareness of the Andre Sobel community. By combining the power of music with the powerful stories of families battling catastrophic illness, Project Reverberate will echo the message of hope around the country.

The Launch Party is the kick-off event celebrating the tenth anniversary of Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. It is also the event designed to inspire and empower the new generation to care—the future of the Foundation. The media captured during the event will be streamed live on the Andre Sobel website (www.andreriveroflife.org).

For more information, contact Christina Gagnier at gagnier@realpolitech.com.