U.S. Trust Contributes $50,000 for the Valerie Fund and Dancing with the Cars Gala

MAPLEWOOD, NJ – September 10, 2014 – The Dancing with the Cars Gala supported by NJ Auto Retailers Unite to benefit the Valerie Fund, set for this Sunday, September 14, received a major boost today with the announcement of a $50,000 sponsorship from U.S. Trust, Bank of America's wealth management arm.   U.S. Trust will contribute $25,000, which will be matched by Bank of America's Dealer Financing Services unit for a total of $50,000 for the gala.  Earlier this year, U.S. Trust made a separate donation of $25,000 to the Fund.

"The generous donations by U.S. Trust and Bank of America's Dealer Financing Services unit will go a long way towards helping us achieve our fundraising goal this year, helping us to fulfill our mission of providing support for locally-based, comprehensive care of children with cancer and blood disorders," said Barry Kirschner, Executive Director of the Valerie Fund.

Keith T. Banks, president of U.S. Trust and a lifelong resident of New Jersey, said, "We are proud to support the Valerie Fund and serve as a sponsor of the Dancing with the Cars Gala. New Jersey has long been a national leader in healthcare, but for many years lacked world-class treatment facilities for pediatric cancer and blood disorders. The Valerie Fund has changed that, providing New Jersey children with local access to such care, helping to ease the emotional, physical and financial toll that these illnesses impose on families. We look forward to joining with the Valerie Fund and NJ Auto Retailers Unite to make this the most successful fundraiser ever."

The Valerie Fund honors Valerie Goldstein, who lost a brave fight against cancer in 1976 at the age of nine. During six years of treatment, Valerie and her parents, Ed and Sue Goldstein, traveled hundreds of miles weekly because New Jersey then lacked comprehensive in-state care facilities for children with cancer and blood disorders. In Valerie's memory, her parents founded the Valerie Fund to ease the burden of care on other families. Since then, the Valerie Fund has supported the founding of seven centers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals for children suffering from cancer and blood disorders, providing state-of-the-art outpatient care to more than 4,000 children and their families annually.

The Dancing with the Cars Gala will be held Sunday, September 14, 2014 from 3:00 PM-7:30 PM at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison. Tickets are available for $85 each by calling (973) 973.-761-0422 or reserving online at http://www.thevaleriefund.org/dwtc/.