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By: Weston Berg

In both a tribute to the continued legacy of Ryan McElroy and as a sign of the increasing strength and success of the charity organization established in his memory, this year's Gala of Hope, a benefit for children stricken with cancer, will be held March 10 at the Poughkeepsie Grandview to accommodate the event's growing attendance.

The fourth annual gala will take place that Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the luxury facility overlooking the Hudson River. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. Tickets are $150 per person.

Last year's event hosted 350 guests and raised approximately $85,000 for the Ryan McElroy Children's Cancer Foundation to go toward services helping the families of local children fighting cancer.

According to Chip McElroy, Ryan's father, proceeds from this year's gala could far exceed last year's.

"When we lost our son I had this incredible urgency to do something and we started the foundation," said McElroy of the charity's inception. "When you've gone through it like I have, in good conscience you can't walk away from it. I just wanted to help parents exhaust every possibility to save their child."

Ryan McElroy was not quite 5 years old in 1998 when he succumbed to bone cancer, despite many desperate attempts by the community and his loving parents, Chip and Judy McElroy of World's Gym in Pawling, to keep him alive.

"I know everything humanly possible was done to save Ryan and you find peace in that because if you had to live with the would-of, could-of, or should-of, it would have been even harder I think," McElroy said.

The goal of the foundation, according to him, is to provide the financial support to ensure that no possible avenue is spared in an effort to save the life of a child. He said that even when the foundation's first goal, to save lives, sometimes can go tragically unfulfilled, he hopes that its second mission, to provide peace of mind, does not.

"They don't have to say I wish I could have been able to do that," he said. "Because there's nothing I could imagine that would be worse than that. To know that there might an experimental treatment offered somewhere else in the country and not be able to do that. And that's what Ryan's Foundation does."

McElroy said that presently the charity is helping three particular children: one from Poughkeepsie, another from Pawling, and a girl in Putnam County. All have stage four cancer that is life threatening.

Among the services the foundation provides are relief for rental expenses, medical bills, heating bills, travel expenses, and sadly, often funeral costs. In the past, funds raised have gone toward the purchase of a prosthesis for a young girl who had lost a section of her leg to cancer.

The foundation also partners with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and works often with St. Francis Hospital, Vassar Brothers Hospital, and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Westchester where Ryan's doctor, Dr. Claudio Sandoval practices.

Sandoval will be honored at the gala for his commitment to the foundation and fighting cancer. He'll also be the first honoree in the history of the gala that night, said McElroy.

"He's just an incredible guy, he goes above and beyond," said McElroy. "He exhausts every single possible resource to save a child and he takes every single child personally. He fights for that child as if he's fighting for his own."

Firm foundation

With seven years gone by since its seeds were first sewn, it's obvious Ryan's Foundation has come a long way.

Raising $10,000 in its first year, the foundation grew in leaps and bounds last year to raise close to $160,000, with every dollar of proceeds going to the children. The reason for this success McElroy says is as simple as just tapping into the natural goodness he feels is inherent in everyone.

"People I firmly believe are generous by nature and if they have a foundation they believe in and they see work and they know all the money goes to these kids, they'll channel their funds to that foundation if they have confidence in it," said McElroy. He further added that Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian "Butch" Anderson has been a big part of their winning cause.

"Quite honestly since he became the executive director, the foundation just took off," said McElroy. "With his commitment to children, with his commitment to the foundation, obviously with all his contacts and influence in the county we were able to reach to people."

McElroy also expressed his gratitude to former Dutchess County Undersheriff James "J.J." Thompson, whose recent passing due to a prolonged illness has had the entire community grieving.

Among his last wishes, Thompson, a mainstay of the McElroy Gala, asked that in lieu of flowers, donations instead should be given to the foundation. This final selfless act helped raise $2,500.

The foundation has yet to have to have to turn down a cry for help says McElroy, whose ultimate hope is that it continues to grow to a point where its generosity will one day truly know no boundaries.

"I think my dream is to never say no to a child and just continue to have these fundraisers to raise the financial resources to be able to help any child that comes across our foundation no matter what it is, no matter what they need.

"We'll just keep fighting, we'll keep making money, and we'll keep helping kids," he said.

For more information about the gala or the foundation, contact Chip and Judy McElroy at the World Gym at 855-9710 or visit www.ryansfoundation.org.