Harbor Crab Company Hosts Fundraising Event

More than 300 people made their way to in Patchogue on Feb. 4 for a fundraising event for Patchogue resident Cathie Keeley.

Keeley is the part owner of Sunrise Fitness and a mother of three. At 52 years old, she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM), an extremely rare blood cancer that affects the bone marrow. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation to fight the disease and is unable to work her full time hours due to extremely painful side effects.

“She was diagnosed in November with MM. It causes painful bone fractures. We are just trying to do what we can to help out with the medical bills” said Cathie’s daughter, Shannon McCann.

McCann was one of the driving forces behind organizing the event. She received quite the response from the community, friends and family; there was an outpouring of support and more than 130 baskets donated for the Chinese auction part of the fundraiser. There was live musical entertainment by Mid-Life Crisis followed by DJ Jimmy Powers.

All the money raised was to help ease some of financial burden during this difficult time. All proceeds will go directly to Cathie and will help assist with medical bills and daily living expenses. 

“It’s so hard to thank everyone individually, but some of the big sponsors were Sunrise Fitness and Harbor Crab," McCann said.

She has booked another spot for the event, printed out flyers and started spreading the word, but the venue pulled out. As she was scrambling to try to find another location, Harbor Crab Company came through and donated its restaurant.

“It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” McCann said. “There is no way we could have had this many people in the other location. I really have to personally thank Mark Miller, Brian Kearns and Frank Mills, the owners of Harbor Crab Company, for their support in sponsoring this event.”

Tobay Printing donated all of the tickets and flyers, and when it came to the Chinese auction portion, there were heated tents erected outside the venue on the back deck to accommodate all the baskets. Some of the local businesses who donated included Howard's Cafe, 21 Main, Studio 24, Public House, Vanity Square Salon, Kay Cameron Jewelers, Martin Landscaping, Sweet Mandarin, Debra Canavan, Crickets, Blue and many more.

There were also some high-end auction items up for grabs, like a trip to Disney, a time share vacation and golf clubs. A 50/50 raffle was also held during the event.

“I also have to thank Matt and Melissa Bonfanti, as well as the Lincoln Avenue PTA for helping me out,” McCann said. “My mom is so overwhelmed by all of this. We will be forever grateful!”