CHICAGO, May 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation is hosting its first annual fundraiser, The Bear Bash, on May 12, 2012 at 7:00pm. The Bear Bash, which is already sold out, will host 200-plus people at Room 1520 and will feature a live musical performance by the 80s sensation Spazmatics.

The mission of the CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy foundation is to provide joy and support to children living with epilepsy. This mission is carried out by raising funds for The CeCe Bear® Initiative, which donates customized teddy bears to the leading pediatric epilepsy centers across America to provide comfort to the children being treated and financial support to the families challenged with paying for it.

90% of the cost of each bear sponsored for $39.99 goes directly to the children that CeCe Cares helps, with one third of the money going towards the actual cost of manufacturing and distributing the CeCe Bears to the children's hospitals, and the remaining money going towards funding financial grants to help families pay for medical related expenses not covered by insurance. In 2011, its first year of operation, 2000 teddy bears were donated to ten of the leading children's hospitals in the US and financial grants were provided to six families.

 "The dual purpose of the event is to build awareness of the organization as an up and comer in the epilepsy community as well as raise significant funds to support the organization's mission to expand its efforts to help children and families in need," said Peter Cunningham, who founded the CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation with his wife Sarah after losing their daughter to a serious form of pediatric epilepsy.

Chicago local Randy Steinmeyer will be the emcee for the inaugural Bear Bash.

Steinmeyer has been working as a professional actor and spokesman for the past 25 years, and he has recently been featured in films such as Contagion, Transformers 3, and Public Enemies; and on television in roles on The Playboy Club, Chicago Code, and The Untouchables.

 Numerous raffle packages will be available at the event. Attendees will have the chance to purchase tickets to win these prizes. Raffle packages will be:

• Raffle One: Home Projects Galore! Urban Living of Chicago will donate two of its experienced maintenance crew for four hours to perform handyman duties. Additionally, Certified Professional Organizer ® Amy Trager will provide a consultation to help create a more efficient and relaxed space. www.AmyTrager.com   (Estimated Value: $825)

• Raffle Two: Styling You and Your Home. Enjoy three hours of a personal fashion styling consultation from Chicago's leading Fashion Stylist Karna Johnson and five hours of interior design consultation services from Beth Egan Interiors.
  www.KarnaJohnsonStyling.com www.BethEganDesign.com (Estimated Value: $1,000)

• Raffle Three: Spring Into Health and Wellness! Join The Prepared Kitchen and HiFi Fitness as they team up to tune you up to look and feel your best with three, 60-minute, one-on-one Personal Training, Boxing and/or Pilates Reformer sessions and a delicious and nutritious two-hour cooking lesson for four people (adults and/or kids) .www.HiFiFitness.com www.thepreparedkitchen.com   (Estimated Value: $600)

• Raffle Four: Sports Trifecta—Cheer on three of Chicago's favorite sports teams! Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, July 28 at 12:05 p.m. at Wrigley Field. Four tickets to a Chicago Blackhawks Regular 2012-2013 Season Home Game at United Center. Four tickets to the Chicago Bears vs. St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012 Generously donated by TPN, Inc., (www.tpninc.com), the Chicago Blackhawks (www.chicagoblackhawks.com) and Gatorade Sports Marketing (www.gatorade.com). (Estimated Value: $2,000.00 +)       

• Raffle Five: Mommy's Little Helper(s)—Free Drinks for All! Receive vouchers for one year's supply of free Horizon Milk and Silk Soy Milk as well as six bottles of Lafond Pinot Noir. (Estimated Value: $680)

In addition, the event will serve as the culmination to CeCe's Bear Challenge, an initiative to have 1,000 bears sponsored by May 12th. To date, 150 teddy bears have been sponsored for $39.99 each, leaving 850 to go.  Attendees will be able to help the organization reach its goal by donating both before and during event.

The Spazmatics, a hilariously nerdy group, uses its geeky charm to send audiences back to the 80's. While incorporating 80's dance moves and styling during their show, The Spazmatics uniquely blend 80's New Wave with today's popular music.

CeCe Cares would like to express its immense gratitude for all sponsors who have helped make this event possible: Jockey, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Horizon Dairy, CCO Healthcare Partners, KKMb2b, Rich and Margie Feitler, TPN, Charlie Russ with Northwestern Mutual, LeaderPromos, Customer Magnetism, IdilusHR, National Medical Billing Services, Advanced Events, Octane Rich Media, Ltd, and ABCOMRENTS.

Tickets to the CeCe Cares First Annual Bear Bash have already sold out, but donations can be made online. Make sure to stay up to date with us via our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Michelle McRae
CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation
michelle@cececares.org
312.961.4747

About CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation

CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation 501(c)(3) is dedicated to providing joy and support to children living with epilepsy. Our mission is carried out by raising funds for The CeCe Bear® Initiative, which donates teddy bears to the leading pediatric epilepsy centers across America to provide comfort to the children being treated and financial support to the families challenged with paying for it. For more information about CeCe Cares Pediatric Epilepsy Foundation, visit www.cececares.org.

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