FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chris Starr, Director of Marketing and Community Outreach The Peck School | 247 South Street | Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 539-8660 | cstarr@peckschool.org www.peckschool.org
THE PECK SCHOOL RAISES NEARLY 25,000 FOR THE CAROL G. SIMON CANCER CENTER IN MORRISTOWN Basking Ridge, NJ. – October 23, 2017 – More than 200 parents, friends and alumni of The Peck School of Morristown attended the school’s biennial “FFP” fundraising luncheon at the Basking Ridge Country Club on Thursday, October 19. This year, the luncheon was entitled Friends, Fiction, and Philanthropy and the featured speaker was New York Times Best Selling author, Barbara Delinsky. In past years, the fundraiser has highlighted artists and experts in a variety of fields beginning with the letter “f” such as food, film, and fashion. Her publisher describes Delinsky’s novels as “domestic drama,” and her books tell stories of “good people who experience bad things.” Delinsky herself explains, “My novels are characterdriven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists.” In 2001, Delinsky veered into the realm of non-fiction writing after struggling with and surviving surgery and treatment for breast cancer. Now in it’s 4th edition, the 10 Anniversary volume of her book, UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes for those with breast cancer and those who take care of them. Delinsky has donated every penny of profit from the sales of UPLIFT to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she received the bulk of her treatment. Delinsky shared her personal journey, as well as insights into her career as an author, to attendees at the fundraising event. She also shared anecdotes from her children’s lives, including her son Andy Delinsky, who assumed the role of Headmaster at The Peck School in 2014. She was followed at the podium by Peck parent Virginia Cepeda, who related her own harrowing tale as a recent breast cancer survivor. In addition to the cost of admission, the Friends, Fiction and Philanthropy event raised funds through the auction of donated items. This year, the beneficiary of the nearly $25,000 raised is the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center in Morristown. The FFP fundraising luncheon is held every two years and organized by The Peck School Parents Association. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The Peck School is the northern New Jersey Kindergarten through eighth grade independent school where timeless traditions meet timely transformation. Peck’s carefully crafted nine-year continuum creates a nurturing environment enriched by enduring values and shaped by the customs of a gentler and more gracious age. Within this small-scaled close-knit community students feel known and valued, embrace kindness, explore ethical inquiry, develop dynamic empathy, and grow prodigiously as learners and leaders – all without growing up too soon. Learn more at www.peckschool.org, or call our Admissions office at 973-539-8660 x 108.