*On August 15, the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation marked a milestone with its 25th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner, raising over $2.8 million to advance cancer care and research. Held in Los Angeles, the event brought together sports legends, entertainers, and philanthropists to support the foundation’s mission of funding innovative cancer treatments and critical community programs.
The evening celebrated Aaron Donald, Barry Bonds, Spike Lee, and Wayne Gretzky with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their remarkable contributions. Reggie McKnight and RJ Melman were also recognized with the Humanitarian Award for their dedication to community service.
“As an honoree, I have a lot of trophies and I want to present something. The Lifetime Achievement goes to someone more special than me,” said Barry Bonds, dedicating his award to his mother. “My mother has always been there for us – she’s the one that took me to little league and made me go play baseball. She never asked for anything. We all got trophies, we all got awards and my mom never wanted to be in the front seat. So this trophy, mom, has your name on it and the only person in our family that’s been a Lifetime Achievement person is you.”
A highlight of the night was a performance by GRAMMY-nominated artist Robin Thicke, whose energy captivated the audience. The event also featured exclusive auctions with rare sports memorabilia, luxury travel packages, and VIP experiences, driving significant contributions to the foundation’s cause.
Wayne Gretzky, reflecting on the impact of sports, shared, “We don’t play, us athletes, to win championships. We don’t play to win awards for helping people who are less fortunate. The greatest thing about sports is the people who are in the games are really nice people.”
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The gala drew an impressive roster of celebrity guests, including Cedric the Entertainer, Johnny Gill, Jon Lovitz, Jonathan Majors, Judge Mathis, Mario Lopez, Meagan Good, Mike Tyson, Sammy Sosa, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Garvey, Storm Reid, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Magic Johnson, introducing co-founders Dana and David Pump, said …
“A lot of times we forget that our parents helped us achieve our goals and dreams, but when we think about these two young men [the Pump brothers] saying, ‘You know what? Thank you, mom and dad.’”
Dana Pump, reflecting on the foundation’s journey, said, “Twenty-five years – I’m blessed, I am really, really blessed. I’m so thankful to so many people.”
His brother David added, “Twenty-five years ago, I made a promise to my late father that my brother and I would try to make a difference in our community – not through words, but through actions. Tonight, my heart is full. We’ve taken so many steps to get here, and both Dana and I, along with our family, are very appreciative of everyone here to support us.”
Since its founding, the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation has raised over $10.5 million, supporting the Carole Pump Women’s Center, the Harold and Carole Pump Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.
Established by brothers Dana and David Pump in memory of their parents, who both passed away from cancer, the foundation continues to drive progress in cancer treatment and community outreach through events like this star-studded gala.
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