Programs & Events
VLF / PCF Cut for a Cure - March 30 – May 4, 2012
Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with childhood cancer each year. In Spring of 2011, the Foundation joined forces with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and Vinny’s pediatric cancer center.
Sports superstars from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Rays and business leaders from throughout the Bay area take a big, if not bold, step forward to helping to curb the staggering statistics.
Entering its third year in 2012, Cut for a Cure participants will be cutting it all off and shaving their heads to pay tribute to children battling cancer at the Bright House Networks Cut For a Cure, presented by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Friday, March 30, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Pepin Hospitality Centre. All proceeds benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation (PCF) and the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation.
The annual event is the creation of Chad Harrod and Rob Webster, event chairmen and PCF board members, who came up with the idea when their lives were touched by a few close friends battling cancer. Again this year, Harrod and Webster are rallying friends, family, colleagues – and for the first time Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Rays players – to shave their heads and collect pledges for their deed.
Bern’s Winefest - April 20 thru 23, 2012
Bern’s Winefest is Central Florida’s premier wine tasting experience. It was created to allow guests a four-day, unique food and wine event with the area’s most talented culinary teams complemented by the best wines from around the world. The Vincent Lecavalier Foundation is a beneficiary and proud supporter of Bern’s Winefest.
Vinny 4 Courage Coins – Launched September 2011
The Vinny 4 Courage Coin was created in honor of Will Dewhurst, a 4 year old patient at Vinny’s cancer center whom Vinny met on the day he was diagnosed. At the 2011 Celebrity Poker Event, the Foundation launched the coin and raised $18,000 in one evening.
The Coin is considered a coin that keeps on giving. The way it works is simple. A $20 donation is made online, a coin is mailed to the donor, and the donor registers the coin online. Each coin has a unique serial number allowing donors and patients to track the coin as it is “passed on” to a friend, family member of colleague who is also willing to make the $20.
Each time the coin is passed it is registered and through a Google map, the locations of the coin are noted with a flag. The more the coin passes, the more dollars are raised, and the more the coin travels.
Patients receiving a duplicate coin can go online and track the progress of their coin.
Texas Hold ‘Em Celebrity Poker Tournament – Early September 2012
The Vincent Lecavalier Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament is an annual event in which all proceeds benefit the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital. The evening features entertainment, a silent auction, chance drawings, casino gaming, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres .
Tampa Bay Lightning stars Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and more attend the event as well as a range of other professional athletes and stars attend the event such as; champion boxers Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright, New York Knicks forward Jared Jeffries, former MLB outfielder Gary Sheffield, former NFL place kicker Martin Gramatica, former NFL cornerback Donnie Abraham, and more. The celebrities will compete for a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice for the “last one standing”.
Halfway to Winefest - Fall 2012
This annual event presented by Bern’s and SideBern’s, celebrates the support of the new Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center opened at All Children’s Hospital.
The wine and spirits tasting is led by Bern’s legendary sommelier staff and complemented by the all time culinary favorites of SideBern’s Executive Chef Chad Johnson. The evening also features a silent auction featuring a Lecavalier meet and greet, Lecavalier suite tickets, autographed lightning memorabilia and more.
SideBern’s Halfway to Winefest is presented by Johnson Brothers, Bern’s, SideBern’s, Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits, and Sykes, and is supported by AT&T, DEX Imaging, Kane’s Furniture and The Center for Special Needs Trust Administration.
Vinny’s Suite Stanley
This game day ticket program began with the 2005-2006 season. Over the years, the foundation has hosted more than 1,200 youth and families representing close to 40 chiaritable community agencies. The program has provided Vinny and the foundation an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of charitable needs in the community and to allow individuals and families experiencing difficulty in their lives to have a “night off” from daily hardships. Recipient agencies are selected on an application basis, and to qualify, have to have an affiliation with a 501(c)3 charitable organization.
