"Cooking Up a Storm for Scleroderma" Success Stories

The Duke Family Hosts Their 5th “Cooking Up a Storm” Fundraiser

The Duke Family of Ocala, Florida, hosted their 5th “Cooking Up a Storm” fundraiser for the Scleroderma Foundation on March 19, 2010. The invitation-only annual event took place at the Dukes’ home in Ocala, and included a catered dinner by national award-winning chef and instructor, Jim Kennedy. Over 140 guests, including Scleroderma Foundation CEO Robert Riggs, were in attendance and enjoyed the musical stylings of a local DJ as well as door and raffle prizes.

The Duke Family has been a longstanding supporter of the Scleroderma Foundation’s mission since their daughter, Lauren, was diagnosed with the most serious form of scleroderma called systemic sclerosis in 2002 at the age of 14. Dr. Jim Duke, a renowned orthopedic surgeon in Ocala, along with his wife Pam and daughters Lauren, now 21, and Kelly,18, began their first “Cooking Up a Storm” event in 2004, inviting family and friends in the Ocala community to help spread awareness of the disease and donate funds to the Foundation. Over the years, the Dukes’ event has grown both in size and stature. Their 2010 event has already raised over $61,000 to support the Foundation’s three-fold mission of support, education, and research. Notes Pam, “We are so grateful to our friends and family in the community who have supported Lauren and this event over the years. I am amazed by their generosity and compassion for Lauren and their desire to help find a cure for this disease.”

To date, the Duke family has raised over a quarter of a million dollars in funds for the Foundation’s programs, services, and research initiatives. In 2009, the Dukes were presented with the Foundation’s “Outstanding Fundraising Award” in honor of their many years of service and generosity to the organization.

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Would you like to host a "Cooking Up a Storm for Scleroderma" dinner? Or, have you held a "Cooking Up a Storm for Scleroderma" dinner, and you'd like to tell us about it? Please send your story and photos to: Scleroderma Foundation, Attn: Tracey Sperry, Director of Development & Research, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 105, Danvers, MA 01923; or via email to tsperry@scleroderma.org.

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