Fundraiser in Memory of Two Yorktown Residents to Benefit Lustgarten Foundation

A fundraiser to benefit the Lustgarten Foundation will be held at  in Yorktown the end of the month in honor of two Yorktown residents, Jack Murphy and Rob Olmsted, who passed away from pancreatic cancer.

Ed Lachterman is leading the fundraising efforts for the Sept. 25 event with the hope that the community could embrace and support the cause toward finding a cure. Rob Olmsted was a high school friend of Lachterman's wife Carol who considered him "family." Olmsted passed away on March 15, 2009 after three years of battling the disease. 

"He was a great guy," he said. "He always enjoyed each day with his kids, family and friends."

According to the Lustgarten Foundation, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in this country. This year alone, more than 42,470 individuals in this country will be diagnosed with the disease and nearly as many will die from it. There is no cure. 

"The Lustgarten Foundation is a not‐for‐profit organization whose mission is to change these statistics," Suzanne Beck said. "To date, we have provided more than $38 million in research support. In addition, we provide in depth information to patients and their families." 

The Lustgarten Foundation is sponsored by Cablevision Systems Corporation. Since 1998, The Lustgarten Foundation has been funding research to cure the disease and 100 percent of every donation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.

Terrence Murphy, Yorktown councilman and owner of Murphy's, said his father Jack passed away on Nov. 11, 2004, just 11 weeks after he was diagnozed with the disease. When Lachterman and Norma Cox, Olmsted's mother, reached out to him inquiring for a venue for their fundraiser, he had no idea it was for the same disease his father passed away from. He immediately jumped on board to help. 

"Norma has been the real push on this for her son and as we talked, we realized we had so much in common," he said. "Anything we can to reach out, we do in the community."

Through the fundraiser, Lachterman said he hopes a cure would be found. 

"You just hope medicine will move fast enough for a medical breakthrough," he said. 

The "Beer, Wine and International Food Tasting" fundraising will include food, drinks, different raffles and auctions. There will also be music by Class Action and Defran, and stand up comedy by John Iavarone. Besides that, area businesses have also offered to help. The Bertolini D & Sons Inc., based out of Peekskill, have offered free sampling of wines and beers. The Melting Pot, out of White Plains, has volunteered to do a sample dessert table.

"It gives you a bit of faith," Lachterman said. "It's nice to see with all the differences in the world, people can find a cause to come together. The only thing that makes this successful is the community embracing it and supporting it."

The fundraiser aims to bring attention to the disease and gain the needed financial support to pancreatic cancer research. It will be held on Sept. 25 from 12 to 5 p.m. Murphy's is located at 355 Kear St. in Yorktown Heights. 

To sign up, contact Ed Lachterman at 914-393-1447, or edlachterman@gmail.com. For more information and to donate money online, click here and check out their Facebook page.