LastLicks, located in the Southgate Shopping Center on Merrick Road in Massapequa Park, is having a Charity Day to benefit the Luke Neuhedel Foundation on March 26, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. LastLicks has tons of sports gifts, celebrity autographed items, plus ice cream, frozen yogurt and other goodies.

Twenty-five percent of all sales for the day, including treats, will be donated to LNF by LastLicks. Stop in, have an ice cream, maybe find something for Mother's/Father's Day, and help kids in their fight against cancer. For more information check out www.lukefund.org.

The Luke Neuhedel Foundation is planning their annual family-fun fundraiser, Lukefest, for July 29 at Maria Regina School in Seaford. This festival is the annual fundraiser sponsored by the Luke Neuhedel Foundation to raise money for the foundation's programs for children fighting cancer. Past Lukefests have raised a combined $40,000, which have been granted to children undergoing cancer treatment to help with the expenses of their fight for life. The Luke Neuhedel Foundation seeks business and individual sponsors to support this year's event. Lukefest is open to the public and raises money through sponsorships and raffles that have included great prizes such as a Weber grill, Disney vacation, fine jewelry and fantastic toys.

Lukefest entertainment has included Mr. Met from the New York Mets, Quackerjack from The Long Island Ducks, and Sandy from the Brooklyn Cyclones. This year's scheduled entertainment so far includes Spotlite Entertainment DJ Paul Spinelli, magician John Lepre, caricaturist Deborah Gary, Jacto Dance Studio performers, Applebee's food, silent auction by RSI Events, and lots of rides and fun for the kids. Over 400 people annually attend Lukefest, but there is plenty of room for more.

The Luke Neuhedel Foundation is looking for other artists and entertainers who would like to donate their talents for one afternoon. Sponsors are needed and welcome on many levels, from $25 to sponsoring a child fighting cancer at $100. Businesses can show their compassion and reach new customers with journal ads or a display table. Families touched by cancer can remember a loved one on the "Miles of Smiles" Wall of Honor for a small donation. More levels of participation and caring can be found at www.lukefund.org/Lukefest.

Deciding on wedding favors becomes a huge problem for many brides. What can you give your guests to commemorate your special day, that won't cost you a fortune, and won't end up in the end-of-summer yard sale? It doesn't have to be a problem. Make a donation to a charity with special meaning to you in the name of your guests, and it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg, either.

The Luke Neuhedel Foundation can provide beautiful handmade, personalized favor cards for a donation of your choice to help children fighting cancer in the US. You work with our celebrated artist, Jennifer Tolson, to create favors in your choice of style, color, wording and theme. You choose the number of favors and the amount you can afford to donate to the Luke Neuhedel Foundation.

You can help children fighting cancer every time you search for information on the Internet. Go to www.GoodSearch.com and use their Yahoo-powered search engine to find what you need. Designate the Luke Neuhedel Foundation as your charity of choice, and children fighting cancer will receive a penny for every search you make. A penny? If everyone reading this participates, thousands can be raised to help children fighting cancer on Long Island and across the US, and many children and their families will be touched by your small effort. Find us under "Luke" in the list of charities at GoodSearch, and remember to use GoodSearch every time you're on the Internet.

The Luke Neuhedel Foundation is a volunteer-run 501c3 charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with cancer through grants and family fun events. Established in memory of Luke Neuhedel, who died of hepatoblastoma at age 3 in 2002, LNF provides aid and donations to thousands of pediatric cancer patients. Find out more at www.lukefund.org. You can contact LNF at 882-9183 or PO Box 137, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.