2017 Carousel Ball Raises More than $1.6 Million for Cancer Immunotherapy Program

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP) 2017 Carousel Ball raised more than $1.6 million to benefit the Hospital’s Cancer Immunotherapy Program.

A signature fundraiser for CHOP since 1957, the Carousel Ball is a can’t-miss event for dedicated Hospital supporters. Held on October 7 and emceed by TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, this year’s black-tie event also set the stage for the launch of For Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs: The Campaign for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a $1 billion fundraising campaign designed to advance breakthroughs in pediatric medicine.

700 guests danced the night away to live entertainment by Starlight Orchestra, dined on chef-inspired creations by Neuman’s Kitchen, and enjoyed panoramic views of Philadelphia’s city lights. The event was held at the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, CHOP’s brand-new, state-of-the-art facility located on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The Roberts Center was created to advance the Hospital’s knowledge of genetics, foster collaboration between clinical and research teams, and create individualized treatment for children with complex diseases.

“At this year’s Carousel Ball, we celebrate the many breakthroughs that have allowed us to define a new frontier in pediatric medicine,” said Madeline Bell, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “These breakthroughs are changing the lives of children throughout the region, across the nation and around the world, and they would not be possible without the generosity of supporters whose contributions help to keep our research moving forward. Thank you for helping us to shape the future of children’s healthcare, starting today.”

As the beneficiary of the 2017 Carousel Ball, the Hospital’s Cancer Immunotherapy Program is the world leader in developing and implementing cutting-edge cellular therapy for children with treatment-resistant cancer. Most recently, world-class clinicians within CHOP’s Cancer Immunotherapy program, in collaboration with investigators at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneered therapeutic research that led to FDA approval of the world’s first personalized, cellular therapy harnessing a patient’s own immune system to treat leukemia.

Featured in the photo above: Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Frontier Program at CHOP, and his wife Sheryl Forste-Grupp (right), joined at the 2017 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Carousel Ball by immunotherapy patient Paulina and her family. Paulina achieved remission after traveling from Mexico to Philadelphia for CAR T-cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.