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Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children (LuskinOIC) Innovation +Access Gala Honored UCLA Health Sarcoma Team and Everychild Foundation

Business

Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children (LuskinOIC) Innovation +Access Gala Honored UCLA Health Sarcoma Team and Everychild Foundation
Business

Business

Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children (LuskinOIC) Innovation +Access Gala Honored UCLA Health Sarcoma Team and Everychild Foundation

2026-06-12 03:36 Last Updated At:03:51

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 11, 2026--

Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children’s ( LuskinOIC ) Innovation +Access Gala, was a celebration of the 115-year-old nonprofit’s mission to provide innovative treatments and world-class orthopaedic care to children regardless of ability to pay.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260611205739/en/

The gala, which took place on Saturday, June 6, welcomed more than 600 guests to the New York City streets of Manhattan Beach Studios in support of LuskinOIC’s belief that Breakthroughs Belong to Every Child.

The evening featured an unforgettable lineup of entertainment, including actress and comedian Caroline Rhea who served as auctioneer, comedian and Grateful LuskinOIC Parent Nic Novicki, who served as emcee with a special video introduction by his friend Nate Bargatze, crowd-standing performances by “The Voice’s” Marisa Corvo, DJ Shigeki Ito, Natalie Fishman & Georgia Madland, and DJ Kitty and DJ Blue Butterfly of Girls Make Beats.

Guests lined up for the opportunity to meet the UCLA Women’s Basketball Champions and take a photo with the national trophy. They enjoyed a New York-themed skit before philanthropist and LuskinOIC namesake, Luskin Meyer, was presented with a 100-year birthday cake!

Special guests included LuskinOIC Ambassadors, Supporters and Gala Particpants, Alex Heenan, Kieran Tamandong, Bella Blanding, Kennedy Garcia, Max Reeves, Sufe Bradshaw, Pooja Batra & Nawab Shah, Dr. Anthony Scaduto, Dr. Nicholas, Bernthal, Dr. Shyni Varghese, Dr. Julio Frenk & Dr. Felicia Knaul, John & Jodi Spanos, Sienna Betts, Amanda Muse, Craig Ehrlich, Dr. Noah Fedderman, Dr. Azar T. Razikeen; LuskinOIC Patient Ambassadors, Andrea Pendarvis, Arturo Hernandez, Darlene Alvarez, Iker Fajardo, Ivonne Mondragon Valdez, Karen Martinez, Ramses Solorio and Gala co-chairs, Sarah & Andrej Jonovic.

This year, LuskinOIC honored the UCLA Health Sarcoma Team for its outstanding partnership, which has helped ensure children receive the highest level of specialized care.

"It is an extraordinary privilege to work alongside the UCLA Health Sarcoma Team. Each member plays a vital role, combining curative cancer surgery with function-preserving care that truly transforms our patients’ lives—for good,” said UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Nicholas Bernthal. “Our collective research is dedicated to improving patient outcomes and quality of life. This team is unmatched, and through the power of partnership, we are helping children not only survive, but go on to live full, meaningful lives. No gift could be greater; no team more powerful."

The Everychild Foundation, which awarded LuskinOIC a $1 Million grant to help complete the purchase of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine (MRI) for their downtown Los Angeles campus, was also honored.

"The relationship between our two organizations goes all the way back to 2005 when we funded the construction of the fully- accessible playground. Over the years, after witnessing Luskin's outstanding implementation of that grant, we were thrilled to fund the new imaging center, making Luskin the only institution ever to receive two of the Everychild major annual grants in our 26-year history,” said Everychild Founder, Jacqueline Jacob Caster.

“LuskinOIC is embarking on an $100 million campaign to transform pediatric orthopaedic care,” said Michael Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer of LuskinOIC. “We are building an Advanced Imaging Center to eliminate wait times, expanding our Center for Sports Medicine and Motion Analysis Lab, modernizing our specialty clinics from 14 to 32 exam rooms, and creating accessibility upgrades throughout our campus. This gala celebrates our progress and invites the community to be part of a crucial chapter in our 115-year mission to ensure every child has timely access to high-quality diagnosis and treatment.”

More than 80% of LuskinOIC’s patients are underinsured, and LuskinOIC relies on the enduring support of donors and dedicated sponsors to help provide first-class care for children with musculoskeletal injuries and disorders and advances patient-centered care worldwide. In alliance with UCLA Health, LuskinOIC stands as the largest provider of pediatric orthopaedic care on the West Coast, receives more than 60,000 patient visits each year, and offers pro-bono treatment to patients in Calexico and Mexicali, among other cities worldwide.

The gala celebrated the champions of the LuskinOIC community - from our donors and dedicated community partners, to our patients and pediatric specialists.

Sarah & Andrej Jonovic co-chaired the gala. Gala Committee members include Alexis & Brandon Antin, Andjelija Beukman, Debbie Clark, Brad Feld, Kelly Gardina, Mara Jacob, ElizBeth Jones-Mudaliyar, Nora Kahenasa, Dan Madden, Vicky Mar, Kristy Mongiello, Eya Garcia Provan, Kerbanu Pudumjee, Gareth Provan, Nancy Rossi, Toni Steele, Brianna Ziegler, and Nancy Zytko

Follow us @LuskinOIC #LuskinOIC #InnovationGala #Innovation+Access

About Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children (LuskinOIC)

Founded in 1911, Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children is a nonprofit pediatric orthopaedic hospital dedicated to providing world-class care to children regardless of their families' ability to pay. In partnership with UCLA Health, LuskinOIC serves more than 60,000 patient visits annually, with over 85% of patients covered by Medi-Cal or underinsured. The Institute operates both locally and globally, with pro bono clinics serving underserved communities. For more information, visit luskinoic.org.

About Everychild Foundation

The Everychild Foundation, founded in 2000 is a Los Angeles based women’s grant-making and advocacy organization with over 200 members dedicated to easing the suffering of local children, whether due to disease, disability, abuse, neglect or poverty. Each woman donates an annual contribution, all of which are pooled into a single $1M grant award to a nonprofit proposing a project that improves the lives of vulnerable children and youth. Including this newest grant, Everychild has now awarded close to $25 million to worthy agencies across Los Angeles County.

About UCLA Sarcoma Program

The UCLA Sarcoma Program provides innovative multidisciplinary treatment for adults and children with sarcoma at any stage of the disease. UCLA is one of the three busiest sarcoma centers in the nation. On an annual basis they evaluate over 1000 patients with sarcoma, over 500 of which undergo surgery at UCLA. At UCLA, a patient’s plan of care is decided by their weekly sarcoma tumor board involving physicians specializing in sarcoma from surgical oncology, orthopedic oncology, gynecologic oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, pathology and radiology. This group of 15-20 physicians formulate and coordinate optimal treatment strategies for individual patients.

Renee & Meyer Luskin celebrate Meyer's 100th Birthday at the LuskinOIC Innovation + Access Gala at Manhattan Beach Studios. Photo credit, Presley Ann Getty Images for LuskinOIC

Renee & Meyer Luskin celebrate Meyer's 100th Birthday at the LuskinOIC Innovation + Access Gala at Manhattan Beach Studios. Photo credit, Presley Ann Getty Images for LuskinOIC

LuskinOIC Patient Ambassadors with UCLA athletes and the Women's Basketball & Men's Water Polo NCAA Championship trophies at the LuskinOIC Innovation + Access Gala Top Row (Left to Right), Amanda Muse, Sierra Betts, Alex Heenan, Hayden O’Hare, Max Matthews Bottom Row (Left to Right), Ivonne Mondragon Valdez, Iker Fajardo, Suzzet Mondragon Valdez, Ramses Solorio, Karen Martinez. Photo credit Mark Wang, Mark Wang Photography

LuskinOIC Patient Ambassadors with UCLA athletes and the Women's Basketball & Men's Water Polo NCAA Championship trophies at the LuskinOIC Innovation + Access Gala Top Row (Left to Right), Amanda Muse, Sierra Betts, Alex Heenan, Hayden O’Hare, Max Matthews Bottom Row (Left to Right), Ivonne Mondragon Valdez, Iker Fajardo, Suzzet Mondragon Valdez, Ramses Solorio, Karen Martinez. Photo credit Mark Wang, Mark Wang Photography

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Beirut on Sunday targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, despite ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the U.S.-Iran war. Smoke could be seen rising over the Lebanese capital.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel. Israel's military said earlier in the day that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles into northern Israel, releasing footage where a boom could be heard, sending up a column of smoke.

Israel last struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, setting off the most serious escalation of fighting since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7. Iran retaliated by striking Israel, and Israel hit Iran the following day.

Since that exchange, the U.S. and Iran have inched closer to a deal. In its current form, it is a deep disappointment to Israel’s government, which has been sidelined in negotiations led by Pakistan and others. Iran wants a ceasefire deal to include the fighting in Lebanon. Tehran also has sought the release of billions of dollars in frozen funds.

Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, sparking war in the Middle East. Israeli troops have pushed their invasion of Lebanon deeper than at any point in over a quarter century.

Qatari mediators traveled to Tehran on Sunday to finalize the agreement, according to two regional officials.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, expressed cautious optimism that the U.S. and Iran were finally approaching an agreement that could halt hostilities that have killed thousands of people and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has thrown world markets into disarray.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that the deal would be signed on Sunday, while Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said it could happen in the coming days. Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after the signing.

The deal is expected to be signed electronically, without an in-person ceremony, though it's unclear when or how the signing will take place.

The deal does not solve the thorniest issues between the U.S. and Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program or its frozen assets, but offers a 60-day framework for technical discussions on those issues, according to Pakistani and regional officials familiar with the ongoing negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The officials described Pakistan’s monthslong effort leading the negotiations, struggling to keep both sides from walking out of the room and a total collapse of the negotiations on multiple occasions.

Under the current deal being discussed, U.S. and Israel appear to have fallen short of their original goals of destroying Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and ending its support for proxies. It is not clear how the deal will address these issues, or if they will be part of the final agreement.

Critics in Trump’s own Republican Party, struggling with an unpopular war ahead of the midterm elections, criticized the deal. Some said it did not improve on the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew the U.S. from during his first term and which he still describes as “bad.”

Meanwhile, Trump was expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz during the Group of Seven summit that starts Monday. The waterway is crucial to significant shipments of oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer, and its effective closure rocked the global economy.

Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium have long been at the center of tensions with the U.S. and Israel and an international source of concern.

Trump on social media asserted that “when all is calm,” the U.S. would go in and “downblend and destroy” the enriched uranium in Iran or in the U.S.

Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly committed to giving up the enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last year.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad, Magdy from Cairo, Sewell from Beirut and Frankel from Jerusalem.

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A woman walks past an anti-American mural on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy, now a museum, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman walks past an anti-American mural on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy, now a museum, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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