Celebrity chefs provide food of life
Event raises money for Children's Hospital

By Jason Wermers
jwermers@news-press.com
Originally posted on August 24, 2006

The late-afternoon rain ended minutes before people lined up for the opportunity to pay $125 to eat a well-prepared meal at Rumrunners restaurant.

If that price seems steep, consider this: All the money raised Wednesday evening went to Barbara's Friends Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Outpatient Center at The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida.

The third annual Celebrity Chef event at the southwest Cape Coral restaurant was expected to raise at least $37,000 from the more than 300 paying customers. The event served as the kickoff to radio station WOLZ (95.3 FM)'s fifth annual Helping Kids with Cancer Radiothon, which will take place 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 27.

Rumrunners was packed as a band played gentle reggae music outside. Inside, the excited chatter of hundreds of people filled the air, and it was difficult to move because the crowd was so large.

Roy and Carol Heintz of Cape Coral are grateful for the generosity shown by businesses and residents across Southwest Florida. Their older son, Christopher, 9, was declared cured of leukemia in January, which marked five years since the disease had gone into remission.

"He still goes to the clinic every two weeks," said Carol Heintz, 40. "He has a compromised immune system. Thank God for the clinic being here."

"If we didn't have the clinic here," said Roy Heintz, 46, "we'd have to go to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg twice a month."

Jimmy Roberts, WOLZ's program director, invited Christopher to the first celebrity chef event two years ago.

"This organization needs help," Roberts said. "They only have six or seven beds. Sometimes, there are more children than there are beds."

Norman Love, a world-famous chocolatier, brought his staff from Norman Love Confections. They served a variety of fudges and other chocolate confections.

"When my wife, Mary, and I started this business, we made a pledge that if we're in the community, then it's essential that we give back," Love said. "My wife and I contribute to 250 charities. But this one is especially good for us. Number One, it's for the kids. And Number Two, both of our parents died of cancer."

KitchenAid Culinary Center at Robb and Stucky in Bonita Springs made a return visit to the event.

"Children are of everybody's concern," said Martin Murphy, executive chef at the culinary center. "And it's great that the money stays here in Lee County."

More than half the children treated at the center don't have health insurance. Because it does not turn away anyone, that means most of the treatment at the center is free.

Frank Haskell formed Barbara's Friends, named after his daughter, after she died of breast cancer 11 years ago at age 36. Since then, the charity has raised more than $6 million, which built the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Outpatient Center and pays for the treatment of those child cancer patients whose families can't afford the costs.

Haskell choked up as he talked about a boy the center helped. The boy was 10 years old and had never had a Christmas party, so the facility held a celebration for him.

Five days later, he lost his battle with leukemia.

"We gave him the party, then we gave the family money to bury him," Haskell said.