Kool & The Gang Teams Up With Ronald McDonald Family Room For Their 1st Annual Charity Benefit Concert

Kool & The Gang Teams Up With Ronald McDonald Family Room For Their 1st Annual Charity Benefit Concert '70's Kool' Event To Be Largest Fundraiser For Local Home Away From Home VALHALLA, N.Y., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 29th, the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center will host its 1st Annual Charity Benefit Concert featuring Grammy Award-winning performers Kool & the Gang at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. With a "70's Kool" theme, the special celebrity benefit is slated to be the largest fundraising event in the area for the local Ronald McDonald Family Room - a "home away from home" for families of sick children at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. Sponsored by HBO, CBS Channel 2 news anchor, Shon Gables, will host the benefit concert that will also feature a live auction. The live auction will feature exciting items such as a VIP Sopranos 5th season Premiere and After Party package, a Vespa 2.6 Motor scooter with Barbour Quilted Riding Jacket, An Exclusive Vera Wang Cotillion Gown, gifts from Gucci, Tod's and a special celebrity guest appearance from Anthony Haden Guest. The benefit will also feature a performance from the McDonald's Gospel Choir. Pre-concert festivities will include a food and wine reception and silent auction to be held at Atlanta Bread Company in White Plains. All proceeds from ticket sales and the live auction will be donated to the Ronald McDonald Family Room. "We are so pleased to be able to work with music icons, Kool & The Gang, on our first charity concert benefit for the Ronald McDonald Family Room," said Bryan Colley, Chair of Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. "We are really excited to have them perform on our behalf and help us raise money so that we can continue to provide families with the comfortable facilities and personal attention offered at Ronald McDonald Family Rooms across the world." The Ronald McDonald Family Room, located inside the renowned, state-of-the-art Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center is the first of its kind in the area. Unlike traditional Ronald McDonald Houses located on the grounds near hospitals, the Ronald McDonald Family Room provides a haven within a hospital for the families of children undergoing treatment to help families relax and rest while alleviating the frustration of trying to find accommodation during such a stressful time period. New York-area McDonald's owners and operators raised over $750,000 toward the construction of this $1 million facility. "We are honored to be special guest performers for this benefit concert for the Ronald McDonald Family Room," says Robert "Kool" Bell. "It is very rewarding for us to be able to use our music to help raise money to benefit families of sick children who will utilize the facility at Westchester Medical Center; we hope that everyone will come out and support this event." About Kool & The Gang Kool & The Gang, the group with a sound that has influenced the music of three generations, has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and has performed continuously for the past 30 years, longer than any R&B group in history. With hits such as Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Ladies Night and Too Hot, Kool & The Gang has had 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits and 31 Gold and Platinum albums, and won two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards. About the Ronald McDonald Family Room Started in 1974, the Ronald McDonald House program provides a "home-away-from-home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals worldwide. The Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center opened its doors in December of 2004 as one of the first of its kind on the U.S. east coast. The Family Room serves as a residence inside the hospital where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations. For more information, please visit http://www.rmhc.org/ . Source: Ronald McDonald Family Room CONTACT: Kahdijah Bell for Ronald McDonald Family Room, +1-201-964-2363, or kbell@mww.com Web site: http://www.rmhc.org/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment