Tequilas Burbank held their annual Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Dinner on October 17th in partnership with community activist Ashley Erikson. This is their third year partnering together to raise money for the Center for Clinical Genetics and Genomics at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center of Burbank’s Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (DFCC).
The fundraiser officially kicked off in September, starting a month-long campaign to raise funds and advocate for the importance of genetic testing and early detection testing. Tequilas Burbank donated 50% of their six new Cancer Awareness Cocktails, which are colored to coordinate with a cancer awareness ribbon color.
In 2022 and 2023, the Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Dinner raised a total of $17,731, but this year’s campaign superseded their goals and expectations, bringing in over $23,000 in 2024 alone. Donations are still coming in and are being updated on the fundraiser link here. This year companies like Chulada Seasonings and Spices (Repeat Supporter), Athens Services, JAJA Tequila, The Chainsmokers and Teremana Tequila, pre-committed to generously contributing directly to the fundraiser in support of Providence. Many other local businesses and individuals were extremely kind with donations.
The restaurant was at capacity with a wait list to support Providence and the speakers that included former Burbank City Council Member Tim Murphy, former City of Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos, Providence Saint Joseph Board Member Nat Rubinfeld, and Burbank Chamber of Commerce CEO Jamie Keyser. Tequilas also donated 20% of the sales from the dinner to the DFCC.
Captain Dennis Cremins of the Burbank Police Department showcased their pink police cruiser, wrapped by local Burbank business Wrapix Imaging, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. One of Tequilas customers, Letty Almaraz, decorated the car with a beautiful arch of pink balloons for guests to take pictures with as well.
Tequilas owners, Patricia and Carlos Rivera, began the dinner by welcoming guests and sharing their personal story of losing their loved ones to cancer. Erikson also took to the stage to share her journey with the BRCA2 gene mutation and preventative testing before introducing the speakers of the night. Murphy, Ramos, Rubinfeld, and Keyser all gave emotional and endearing speeches on their personal accounts with battling cancer. Their resilience, humor, and gratitude to the community was felt by all in attendance.
Board-certified and licensed, senior genetic counselor, Aida Akopyan, from the Providence Clinical Genetics and Genomics program also came up and spoke. Akopyan shared common indications for cancer, genetic counseling and testing, as well as research opportunities through the genetics program, and stayed after dinner to greet guests, and answer questions and provide resources for further assistance.
The evening ended with a beautiful tribute video showcasing over 120 photos of loved ones affected by cancer, and a candlelight moment of silence. Tequilas Burbank and Ashley Erikson are just beginning and plan to continue this event in support of genetic testing for many years to come.
