Benefit Event In Enfield to Feature Singer From 'The Voice'

ENFIELD, CT — The legacy of a young woman from Enfield who dedicated the final few years of her short life to helping the patients and families of the Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC) will continue this Saturday, with a fundraising event featuring Noah Lis, who became nationally known in 2014 by appearing on "The Voice."

Beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jimmy's Pub on Enfield Street will honor Kyla Pokorny and her efforts with CCMC by hosting a fundraiser for her annual Christmas Cheer campaign, which provides gifts for CCMC patients and their families during the holiday season. Lis will perform starting at 3 p.m., and a disc jockey will also provide musical entertainment. Jimmy's will be donating 50 percent of sales from the fundraiser to the campaign, and management asks patrons to bring an unwrapped toy or make a cash donation to help fulfill the wish lists.

As a 14-year-old student at John F. Kennedy Middle School in 2012, Pokorny was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Over the next six years, she endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and had a shoulder blade removed, but eventually succumbed to the disease on April 26, 2017 at age 20.

She had been a straight A student at Enfield High School, and was a member of the National Honor Society. After graduating in 2015, she attended UConn as a Horatio Alger Award recipient, among many other scholarships, where she continued her education as a nursing student.

Pokorny was actively involved in numerous charities and had also started several fundraisers for cancer organizations, helping many children that she met during her time at CCMC. She organized her initial Christmas Cheer campaign in 2014, raising more than $3,400, and doubled that amount the following year.

On a GoFundMe page Pokorny created prior to the second year of the drive, she wrote:

"I can't explain how happy it makes me to be able to go out and choose gifts for the children, and be able to buy grocery store gift cards and much needed household items for each family, and to hear how appreciative each family is after Christmastime makes everything worth it."

Jimmy's Pub is located adjacent to Pizza Palace at 524 Enfield Street. More information about the fundraiser may be obtained by calling 860-670-6622.