CAF Suffolk Chapter to Host 51st Gift of Life Ball on June 18, 2020
January 28, 2020 – The Cooley’s Anemia Foundation’s Suffolk Chapter invites you to the 51st Annual Gift of Life Ball on the evening of June 18th at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook, NY. Please join us as we honor our 2020 Humanitarian of the Year, Thomas Watral of Watral Brothers, Inc.
Walt Whitman said, “Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity, When I give I give myself.” Giving of himself and “all-in” are the perfect ways to describe the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation 2020 Humanitarian of the Year, Tom Watral.
Tom has been all-in for the 20-plus years that he has been involved with the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, including serving as the General Chairman for the Gift of Life Ball in 2001 when his brother Jake Watral was the honoree. Tom also currently serves on the CAF National Board of Directors.
With his brother, nephews and son, Tom jointly runs Watral Brothers, Inc., a construction company in Bay Shore. He is a 42-year member of Local 138 Operating Engineers, a member of the Long Island Contractors Association (LICA), Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI), and the Association of General Contractors (AGC).
If you ask Tom what he is most proud of and what brings him the greatest joy, it would be his family. Tom and Ginny have been married 38 years and raised their family in Hauppauge, where they built a home and still live. Amanda and Kevin, who have also been involved with the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation since they were kids, are now raising their own beautiful families. Thanks to Amanda and her husband Joe, and to Kevin and his wife Liana, Tom is the proud “Pop” to JJ and Kennedy.
The Suffolk Chapter hosts several fundraisers each year. In the 20 years Tom has been involved with the Foundation, he has never missed an opportunity to donate and participate. Tom and Ginny sponsor a wine tasting night, when they donate wine from their wine cellar and host a dinner prepared by a selection of noted chefs from the Island. Due to their generosity, the Foundation receives the entire proceeds from this event.
For his unwavering devotion to the patients and his dedication to finding a cure it is an honor and a privilege to present the “all-in” man, Tom Watral, the Suffolk Chapter’s Man of the Year 2020.
Sponsorships, ads, tables and tickets are available for purchase until May 29. To RSVP, and for more information, please contact Darlene at (631) 863-0532 or Darlene@SuffolkCAF.com.