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0 Frank 1 0 2 e c lin’s Original Newspaper Sin
September 1, 2014
Looking for a Few FPAC Opens The Black Box Good Donors ! WinnOff t s e Theatre Kicks 24th Season nt Family, St. Mary’s Host er of the Mother of the Year CoGraci Bone Marrow Registry Drive with Grand Opening
This month, the new performance and event venue The Black Box Theatre, part of the Franklin Performing Arts Company, will open in downtown Franklin.
This month, the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) debuts a transformative new performance and event venue, raising the curtain on THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin. FPAC kicks off the company’s
premiere season in its new home with a grand-opening weekend September 20-22 to introduce the theater and event space to the community. Anchoring a series of signature events, FPAC’s annual Gala on Saturday, September
20 features a special, onenight-only performance by TONY® Award winner Beth Leavel and Broadway star Alexander Gemignani. On Sunday, September 21, FPAC hosts an Open House at THE BLACK BOX, inviting the public to come celebrate, tour the facility, and learn about upcoming programming and arts opportunities for Franklin and the surrounding region. The weekend’s events conclude with the FPAC Golf Tournament on Monday, September 22, featuring a day on the links at Franklin Country Club. “This is a very exciting time for our organization as we plan for the opening of THE BLACK BOX and
The Black Box
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By J.D. O’Gara
Kristin Graci was just 21 years old in April of 2010 when she lost her battle to leukemia, but it was a battle she was able to fight a little bit longer, thanks to an anonymous bone marrow donor overseas. Every day thousands of patients like Kristin search for a bone marrow donor. However, only four out of 10 patients are lucky enough to receive a transplant. Kristin, diagnosed in April of 2008, actually found a match through the donor registry, says her mother, Rita, receiving the bone marrow transplant from a 25-year-old female in England in August of 2008. This helped put her in remission for a time. “What people don’t understand is what a bone marrow transplant is,” says Kristin’s mother, Rita. “Basically, the patient’s immune system is no good. By giving a bone marrow
transplant, all you’re doing is giving them new cells for a new immune system. People aren’t aware of how simple it is, and how desperate patients are to get it.” Despite their devastating loss, the Graci family, led by Justin Graci, Kristin’s brother, and his good friends who had helped him cope, began participating in bone marrow drives, first at UMass Amherst, where Justin was a student. After religious education teacher Karen Ackles did a feature on Justin and his friends in the church newsletter about their efforts to register bone marrow donors, the Graci family approached St. Mary’s about having the drive at the annual Feast of St. Rocco. “I mentioned it would be great to bring it to St. Rocco’s where
Bone Marrow
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