In late September, UFCW International President Marc Perrone got the chance to meet and thank one of the youngest participants of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light the Night efforts. Five-year-old Mason Mazzuca attended the UFCW Charity Foundation’s golf tournament held at Norbeck Country Club on September 26 with his parents, Bob and Keli Mazzuca, in order to serve as the hero for that LLS fundraiser. Mason is a t-cell patient in treatment at Children’s National Medical Center, and was diagnosed in February.
Mason’s mother, Keli, said he “thanks everyone for his new golf clubs, shirt, and balls! He is very interested in how he will keep his new clubs clean…and he is all set for the golf tournament in the spring!” She thanked President Perrone for meeting with Mason. “We were honored to attend,” she said, “and truly felt the united, positive energy from everyone there.”
Mason’s prognosis is good, thanks in part to UFCW members who’ve raised money for LLS to fight blood cancers like his. The UFCW has been a strong partner LLS for nearly three decades. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. The UFCW has raised more than $80 million dollars to support LLS’s efforts to invest in research to advance lifesaving treatments and cures, and to provide free information and support services to blood cancer patients and their families around the world. The UFCW, along with the UFCW Charity Foundation, raises funds for this important work through its successful charity golf tournaments, auctions, bottle drives and a range of other events.
The UFCW staff, local union leadership, and rank and file members also participate in LLS fundraising campaigns like the Light the Night Walk and Team in Training. Together, with this special partnership, LLS and the UFCW are truly helping blood cancer patients live better, longer lives.