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04/10/2018 04:45 PMSince Lana Bargnesi’s terrifying diagnosis of osteosarcoma about a year ago, the community has rallied around 14-year-old Chester resident in ways large and small.
Last week, the show of support definitely fell into the large category, with organizers pulled out all the stops for Family Night Out at St. Joseph Parish Hall in Chester on April 6. More than 200 guests enjoyed a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, the Sugar cupcake truck, and a live performance by Braiden Sunshine, as well as food, games, and crafts.
At the beginning of the night, Barnesi’s father Rob Bargnesi spoke on behalf of the family.
“Maria [Lana’s mother] and I, and Leah [Lana’s twin sister] and Lana, and our family really want to thank everybody. Very generous people, community very generous, we don’t know what to say,” Rob Bargnesi. “It’s such an outpouring by this tri-town area and we’re just, I don’t want to say ‘blown away,’ but we are by it.
“We’re very thankful for the people who came here. We’re very thankful for the people behind the scenes that pulled this thing together,” he continued.
At the beginning of the year, family friends JoAnn DeToro and Meg Gordon, with a large group behind them, began meeting every Monday to plan the event as a fundraiser for the Bargnesi family.
While DeToro and Gordon may have set things in motion, Gordon said the event “really wasn’t us, it happened organically, just people coming together.”
The organizers set out to put a #LanaStrong stamp on the evening. The parish center was decorated in navy blue (Lana Bargnesi’s favorite color) and gold. There was also a section reserved for Bargnesi and her family as well as her closest friends. Behind her, a backdrop reading #Lanastrong was set up for anyone who wished to take pictures to commemorate the night.
Music was donated by Bruce Thorndike and Dana Takaki and Bargnesi’s uncle Owen Kaslowi was the DJ for the night. Connecticut resident and finalist of the TV talent show The Voice Braiden Sunshine donated his talents to the event as well.
The Sugar cupcake truck brought a special creation: the #LanaStrong cupcake. Asked what this cupcake should be, Bargnesi requested vanilla on vanilla with blue frosting. Sugar donated 10 percent of its profits from the night to the family.
Many local businesses, as well as local individuals, donated either time, food, or raffle items to the benefit. Auction items included Red Sox box seat tickets, a Griswold Inn gift basket, Mystic Aquarium tickets, fishing trips, and 18 holes of golf. The raffle also benefited from donations of a liquor crate, wine and beer cooler, an Amazon Echo Dot, a copper cookware set, massages, and more.
The kids’ food was donated by local pizza restaurants, and Catering by Selene also gave the organizers a significant discount.
“All the local businesses that gave…It was truly amazing,” said DeToro.
In the end, the initial 170 adult tickets sold out and demand was so strong that 20 more adult tickets were added.
“Everything we said we wanted to do, someone stepped up and said they could do it,” Gordon said.
Follow Lana Bargnesi’s story on the #LanaStrong Facebook page. Donations can be made to her and her family at www.gofundme.com/3fvtb-lana-strong.