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Mount Pleasant Jeweler Helps Raise Funds For Childhood Cancer Research

LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- It looks like a simple bracelet made of blue jade beads and a tiny elephant charm, but Larchmont jewelers Gino and Felix Rubino know it’s much more than just a piece of jewelry.

Dana and Carmine Gentile -- shown with Gia, center, and her two siblings -- are hoping to pay it forward by helping the families of other children with Neuroblastoma.

Dana and Carmine Gentile -- shown with Gia, center, and her two siblings -- are hoping to pay it forward by helping the families of other children with Neuroblastoma.

Photo Credit: Provided
Gino Rubino and his brother, Felix, of Rubino Jewelers in Larchmont, have been making blue jade bracelets with tiny elephant charms to sell at Gia's Glam Gala in Mount Pleasant.

Gino Rubino and his brother, Felix, of Rubino Jewelers in Larchmont, have been making blue jade bracelets with tiny elephant charms to sell at Gia's Glam Gala in Mount Pleasant.

Photo Credit: Provided
Gino and Felix Rubino of Rubino's Jewelers In Larchmont, have been making bracelets to sell at a Mount Pleasant fund-raiser for pediatric cancer research.

Gino and Felix Rubino of Rubino's Jewelers In Larchmont, have been making bracelets to sell at a Mount Pleasant fund-raiser for pediatric cancer research.

Photo Credit: Provided

It’s a way of showing love and support for Gia, the 6-year-old daughter of a longtime friend, and other children who have been stricken with cancer, explained Gino, a Valhalla resident.

Gino and his wife, Jamie, are close friends of Mount Pleasant residents Carmine and Dana Gentile, a police officer and teacher respectively, and they have a daughter Gia’s age.

Gia, a bubbly first-grader at Hawthorne Elementary School, was diagnosed last fall with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer.

The Gentiles, who say they have received so much support from friends, family and strangers, are on a mission to pay it forward by raising funds for Neuroblastoma awareness and research.

They belong to a nonprofit group called “Band of Parents,” which channels money to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's pediatric program in New York City.

One of their fundraising efforts, Gia’s Glam Gala, is set for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Mount Pleasant Community Center, 126 Vozza Drive, Valhalla.

Gino and his brother, Felix, have been cranking out hundreds of the bracelets to sell at the gala. They will go for $20 apiece and the money will go to “Band of Parents.”

Elephants are Gia’s favorite animal, hence the gold-plated pachyderm charm, he said.

Meanwhile, The Partners Gym in Thornwood is planning a “murder mystery” event for March. Funds raised by the “whodunnit” bash will also go to the “Band of Parents.”

The “1920s Murder Mystery Night” will be produced by New York City-based The Murder Mystery Company on Saturday, March 4.

The cocktail hour starts at 6:30 p.m. and the show runs from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

The order tickets, click here. Tickets are $40 online and $50 at the door.

According to the Gentiles, the $10 admission price to Gia’s Glam Gala will allow participants to get all glammed up.

There will be nail polishing and face makeup, as well as face painting, glitter tattoos, treats, a photo booth and a DJ. For an extra $10, kids and adults can get hair extensions, or shave their heads for charity.

Gia’s dad has already denuded his dome.

The organization will also be selling T-shirts, Rubino’s bracelets, beanie hats and dog tags.

All donations are tax-exempt, the Gentiles said.

If folks would like to help, but can’t attend the gala, they can go to the group’s website, www.bandofparents.org, click on the “Donate” button, and then scroll down to “Specific Donation Funds” where they will find Gia Gentile’s site.

Rubino’s Jewelers is located at 7 Addison St., Larchmont. For more information, call (914) 834-7751.

The Partners Gym is located at 855 Franklin Ave., Thornwood. It can be reached at (914) 579-2888.

To read a previous Daily Voice story about the Gentiles, click here.

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