Thanks to generous Long Island chefs and restaurants, and faithful supporters of the Michael Magro Foundation, the Foundation raised $71,000 during its fourth annual "Evening of Tasting and Giving" on Oct. 7 at The Woodlands in Woodbury. The funds will benefit Winthrop-University Hospital's Hagedorn Pediatric Inpatient Center, the Child Life Program at Winthrop, Winthrop's Cancer Center for Kids and families of pediatric oncology patients at Winthrop.

The Michael Magro Foundation was established by Terrie and Paul Magro of Hicksville in honor of their son Michael Magro, whom they lost to leukemia in July 2004. The Magros' son Marc, who was successfully treated for Hodgkin's disease the same year, is also very active with the Foundation in honor of his brother.

This year's Evening of Tasting and Giving was attended by hundreds of supporters of the Michael Magro Foundation and Winthrop-University Hospital, including 37 of Michael's friends who are now in their senior year at Hicksville High School. The close-knit group of teenagers has remained close to the Magro family and the Foundation since losing Michael more than four years ago.

"Tonight we are honoring Michael's friends from Woodland Elementary School and Hicksville Middle School," said Terrie Magro, when she addressed the attendees of the event. "We cannot begin to describe how supportive these young people have been to us. In 2004 this group was in seventh grade... only 13 years old when they suffered the loss of one of their friends. As I worried about them, they worried about us. Now 17 years old and entering young adulthood, many of Michael's friends will be attending colleges next year all over the United States... and our bond, I am confident, will remain strong."

In addition, about 10 of Marc Magro's friends were in attendance, giving the event a wonderful infusion of youthful energy.

The Evening of Tasting and Giving features gourmet food and fine wine donated and served by a variety of Long Island businesses. It also featured for the second time a special appearance and book signing by Bronx native Ray Negron, author of the popular children's book The Greatest Story Never Told: The Babe and Jackie.

The funds raised at the Evening of Tasting and Giving will enable the Michael Magro Foundation to continue its support of Winthrop and its young patients and their families. Over the past four years, the Foundation has donated video game consoles and games, portable televisions and stands, arts and crafts supplies and books to the Hospital and the Cancer Center for Kids Outpatient Center, and gift cards to families of children in treatment to enable them to get out and enjoy area movie theaters, restaurants, video rental stores and more.

In addition, the Foundation has donated significant medical equipment - including a state-of-the-art VeinViewer Imaging System - and been tremendously supportive of Winthrop's Cancer Center for Kids and its back-to-school program for patients who are dealing with childhood cancers and the after-effects of treatment. The program - dubbed Project SOAR (for School Re-entry Ongoing Academic Resources) - provides educational support and counseling to childhood cancer patients and their families, as well as to their educators and classmates.

For more information about the Michael Magro Foundation, call Terrie Magro at 633-5341 or visit www.michaelmagrofoundation.com. For more information about Winthrop's Hagedorn Pediatric Inpatient Center and Cancer Center for Kids call 1-866-WINTHROP.