On a breezy summer afternoon, more than 400 young professionals gathered at Ohio Street Beach for the second annual Crawfish for Cancer Boil. A host committee, led by Brian Hartmann, helped fill this lakefront beach bash June 27 at Caffe Olivia to raise funds for the Multiple Myeloma Cancer Research Foundation. The event featured live music, an open bar, a DJ and dancing.
Attendees enjoyed more than 500 pounds of crawfish (courtesy of Whole Foods) with corn on the cob, sausage and boiled potatoes served on picnic tables covered in red-and-white-checked tablecloths. Every 25 minutes or so, volunteer chef Andrew Block and his team served up steaming hot crawfish, dumping them on the tables as partygoers made a mad dash to fill their plates. The Four Star Brass Band performed, and DJ Kamil Bartoszcze kept the beat alive as guests danced in the sand.
Crawfish for Cancer was founded by James Crowell as an homage to his father, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lorenzo Mayo Crowell. “My father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in 2002 and lost his battle a little over a year ago. I founded the organization in 2008, and since that time, it has grown from one crawfish boil at Williams College in Massachusetts to seven across the U.S. Through these events, it’s my hope that the money we give to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation will make a significant impact in the fight against this currently incurable disease,” said Crowell.
Multiple myeloma, a cancer of cells in the bone marrow that affects the immune system, is the second most common blood cancer (after leukemia), affecting more than 100,000 people in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
To date, the Crawfish for Cancer Boils have raised more than $240,000 for the Multiple Myeloma Cancer Research Foundation.
Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.
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