Thanks to the generosity of the Pablo Malco Foundation, a group of children, their parents and their social workers from the Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) attended the Hip Hop Symphony at the Broward Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 7:00pm. The plans for this exciting evening began after CDTC Transformer, Karen Kintner of Classical South Florida, secured a donation to the show.
The Transformers, CDTC’s professionals networking group identified this evening to celebrate the extraordinary children who have been selected as CDTC’s “Kids Wish Heroes.” Each “Hero” is a child who has a special health care need, such as Down Syndrome, cardiac disease, cancer or other serious condition, and has been recognized for courage, in spite of his or her lifelong challenges. The heroes were celebrated on this special night for exemplifying courage and strength despite their medical conditions.
The children and their mothers met at CDTC in Fort Lauderdale to board the special CDTC party bus, courtesy of Patriot National Insurance Group. The party bus took the children to a pizza party facilitated by Jane Bolin of Peyton Bolin PL and courtesy of Mr. Jim Carrol, General Manager of D’Angelo’s Restaurant, who invited the children to make their own pizzas alongside his staff. The children then attended Pablo Malco Foundation’s Hip Hop Symphony which blends urban, hip hop dance and music with traditional, classical instrumentation.
“There is nothing more valuable to me than providing opportunities for children and their families to experience the culture and the history of dance and music. It’s important to give back to the community and what better way than to donate Hip Hop Symphony tickets to children from the Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center. Although the show is one way of sharing the arts, I plan to make a personal connection with a visit to the center where I can spend some one-on-one time with the kids. There’s nothing like the smile on a child’s face when you make a connection through dance and music and I guarantee it will be a hip hop adventure at the CDTC!” said Pablo Malco, Founder and CEO of the Pablo Malco Foundation.
“Thanks to the generosity of our community partners and CDTC Transformers we were able to give these children an unforgettable night as a celebration of their strength and courage. It was truly an adventure these children will never forget,” said Dr. Ana Calderon, Assistant Administrator of CDTC.
CDTC Transformers is a group of networking professionals in the South Florida community who serve as advocates for Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center. Formed in January 2010, this group has grown to over 65 members who participate in fundraising efforts and raise awareness for the Center. Transformers enjoy invitations to four exclusive networking receptions a year.
The Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 10,000 children with special health care needs in Broward County. CDTC’s mission is to promote the optimal health and well-being of children with special health care needs by providing comprehensive prevention, intervention and treatment services within a medical home environment. CDTC is a nationally recognized “Center of Excellence,” offering a unique system of care for infants, children and youth with chronic illnesses, disabilities and developmental delays. All medical care and social services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay.