Emily Progin, PR & Social Media Coordinator
eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
SEPTEMBER 8 SPAGHETTI DINNER TO HELP LEETSDALE KIDNEY/LIVER RECIPIENT
Leetsdale, Pa.—On Saturday, September 8, chow down with your community for a good cause at a Spaghetti Dinner at Leetsdale Municipal Building Community Room (136 Broad St). From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., enjoy a spaghetti platter, 50/50 raffle, Chinese auction, and bake sale to show support for Brent Lauffer, a local resident who received a transplant in 2017.
As a teen, Brent learned he had congenital hepatic fibrosis. His health went from bad to worse, requiring consistent medical care and a spleno-renal shunt in January 1999. Brent, a Thomas Edison University and Beaver County Community College grad, and his parents Doug and Vicki Lauffer, also of Leetsdale, waiting for decades until they got the call that would alter Brent’s future. The 39-year-old received a liver and kidney transplant at the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center on January 20 and 21, 2017, respectively.
What does the future hold for Brent? “I continue to recover and heal by prayer, following daily post-transplant regimes,” he explained. “This is a life-long process. I look forward to working again, perhaps [in] logistics.” Throughout his transplant journey, Brent has leaned on the help of his community by fundraising with the nonprofit Help Hope Live at helphopelive.org. Transplant costs are lifelong, financially debilitating, and often not fully covered by insurance: the anti-rejection meds transplant recipients must take for the rest of their lives alone can top $5,000 per month.
Proceeds from the Spaghetti Dinner on September 8 will be donated to the nonprofit Help Hope Live in honor of Brent Lauffer. Register at the door or online at helphopelive.org for just $10 per adult and $5 for kids 12 and under. Kids under 2 attend and eat free. Proceeds are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be used to offset medical expenses via Help Hope Live’s Mid-Atlantic Transplant Fund. Share this flyer with friends!
For more information, contact Vicki Lauffer at 724.266.4128. Can’t make it, but want to help? Donate digitally and find check donation instructions at helphopelive.org or call 800.642.8399.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $131 million to pay patient expenses. ###
Written by Emily Progin
