Night of Laughs with Billy Gardell Benefits Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
“Stand-Up For Kids” comedy event raises $200,000 for Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Building Fund
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Stony Brook Medicine and Stony Brook Children’s leadership gather before the show for some laughs with comedian Billy Gardell and Stony Brook Children’s patient family, the Fosters. Pictured from Left: Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP; Comedian Billy Gardell; Paula Foster, a Stony Brook Children’s patient; Paula’s sister Brianna; Margaret McGovern, MD; L. Reuven Pasternak, MD; and Paula’s diabetes alert dog, Cooker. |
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Comedian Billy Gardell takes the stage at the Staller Center for the Arts, entertaining the audience with a hilarious stand-up routine. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., July 1, 2014 – More than 300 people enjoyed a night of terrific entertainment on June 18 at Stony Brook University when actor and comic Billy Gardell, star of the hit TV series Mike & Molly, performed at the Stand-Up for Kids comedy night, raising $200,000 to benefit Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
All proceeds from the event, held at the Staller Center for the Arts on the Stony Brook University campus, were matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor to benefit the Building Fund for the new Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
The night began with a welcome and thank you to supporters from Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, who spoke about the importance of upgrading and expanding the hospital. Dr. McGovern also introduced one of Stony Brook Children’s patients, who spoke of the excellent care she’s received at the hospital over the years.
Comic veteran Murv Seymour kicked off the comedy portion of the program. Gardell then took the stage to perform his unique brand of stand-up, sharing a range of hilarious stories – from parenting to marriage to America’s latest diet crazes.
“Stand-Up for Kids was a great event for Stony Brook Children’s,” said Dr. McGovern. “Billy Gardell was a fantastic performer. It was a wonderful way to raise awareness and funds for the expansion of Stony Brook Children’s that will help us serve even more children, generate more cutting-edge research, and train more pediatric specialists.”
The new Stony Brook Children’s Hospital will be completed in 2016. It will be housed in a new 10-level Hospital Pavilion adjacent to Stony Brook University Hospital. The expansion will feature a pediatric intensive care unit, adolescent unit, procedure suite, hematology/oncology unit, medical/surgical units and modern patient and family amenities; new adult critical care and cardiac care units; an expanded imaging department; and increased support space throughout.
About Stony Brook Children’s Hospital:
Established in June 2010, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital. More than 7,000 children and adolescents are admitted each year. Stony Brook Children’s operates 100 pediatric beds and has more than 140 full-time pediatric physicians and surgeons in 30 different specialties and over 200 voluntary pediatric faculty members. The hospital is the Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center for our area and has a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is home to the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center and also offers a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program, Pediatric Cardiology Program, Pediatric HIV and AIDS Center, Cystic Fibrosis Center and the Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. To learn more, visit
www.stonybrookchildrens.org
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