South Brunswick – The 2016 Hugs for Brady Foundation’s Ellen Gambatese Pediatric Cancer Volunteer of the Year award will be presented to South Brunswick humanitarian Tom Morris during the sixth annual Hugs for Brady Foundation Gala.
The Hugs for Brady Foundation’s Winter Gala, “Hugging Heroes,” will be held on March 5 at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset.
Raised in New Jersey as the youngest of seven children, Morris has served the Township of South Brunswick for the past 27 years as the director of Parks and Recreation. The department manages 30 park areas, recreation programming, special events, athletic leagues, programming for children and adults with special needs and has a very active relationship with many non-profits in the community and region.
“I am humbled and honored to be receiving the Ellen Gambatese Volunteer of the Year Award, along with David Brockman and Jodi Brywka, who have worked tirelessly running the Hugs for Brady 5K race and other events,” Morris said. “Having a small part of the success of the Hugs for Brady organization has been a rewarding and inspirational experience. It has been special for me to also become friends with Brady’s parents, Mike and Sherrie, who are indeed wonderful people.”
Sherrie and Michael Wells of South Brunswick started the Hugs for Brady Foundation in 2009, shortly after their 13-month-old son, Brady, was diagnosed with non-differentiated acute leukemia. In 2010, Brady passed away at 23 months old after he had battled the disease for 10 months.
Hugs for Brady has raised more than $1 million and applies most of the funding to cancer research. Funding has been provided to Rutgers University Cancer Institute of New Jersey for its Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, a cornerstone of pediatric cancer research and the state’s first pediatric cancer young investigator research program.
The foundation has also funded the region’s first sedation-free MRI project at New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Hugs for Brady has helped families defray the costs of having a child in the pediatric oncology floor (which can cost up to $10,000 a day); provided kid friendly furniture, computers, TVs and video games for the remodeling of the children’s game and teen rooms at Robert Wood Johnson-Bristol-Meyer Squibb Children’s Hospital’s Hematology/Oncology unit; and have designed and custom-built “Brady Buggy” wagons, which provide children with a safe, familiar means of transportation within a hospital.
The Ellen Gambatese Pediatric Cancer Volunteer of the Year award is presented to those who exemplify the true definition of generosity and have made selfless contributions of time and talent by helping children. The award is named in memory of Ellen Gambatese, who was married to South Brunswick Township Mayor Frank Gambatese.
“I want to congratulate Tom, Jodi and David on receiving this year’s award. I would also like to thank all the volunteers of the Hugs for Brady Foundation, especially Mike and Sherrie Wells, for their hard work and dedication to pediatric cancer efforts. I know my wife Ellen would be extremely proud to have this award presented in her name” Gambatese said.
To purchase tickets to the Winter Gala, to become a sponsor, to volunteer or to make a donation, visit www.hugsforbrady.org.