Gregg Garofalo to Receive 2nd Annual Guiding Light Award at the 2018 Goombay Bash
Published Wednesday, June 20, 2018
The H Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that funds basic science research to cure cancer, is awarding the 2nd annual Guiding Light Award to Gregg Garofalo, president of Lighting One, in recognition for his continued dedication to raising money and awareness to cure the disease that now affects 1 in 3 people.
“Cancer is personal and understanding the power of that experience has been our inspiration,” said John Rot, H Foundation Board President and Owner of Horton's Home Lighting in LaGrange, Illinois. “Gregg knows this all too well. Even as his wife was diagnosed and he helped her to battle this horrible disease, he rallied others to the cause of finding a cure, he inspired all of us to keep fighting in honor of those we’ve lost.”
Since its inception in 2001, The H Foundation and guests at the organization’s signature fundraiser, The Goombay Bash, have been driven by a sense of community and shared purpose. This grassroots spirits is epitomized in the message that “Cancer is Personal,” affecting real people--families, friends, neighbors, colleagues and employees. During that time the organization has raised nearly $8 million to fund research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University which has earned over $50 million in additional grants and lead to clinical trials for cancer treatments.
The Guiding Light Award was created in 2017 and presented to lighting industry companies Generation Lighting, Hinkley, Kichler, Quoizel, Satco, and WAC Lighting to honor their long-term commitment to the H Foundation and to recognize their consistent and enduring efforts to fund basic science research to find a cure cancer. Beginning this year, the “Guiding Lighting Award” will be given annually to an individual who personally exemplifies the leadership qualities that will guide others towards a brighter future in which no one will suffer the hardships of this horrible disease. It celebrates the community spirit that has used ingenuity to shine a spotlight on and raise money for basic science cancer research.
“Since our very first event, the lighting industry has made a substantial difference in the dollars raised and support given to basic science cancer research,” explained Rot. “At The Goombay Bash, when you look around the room almost 400 guests are connected to the lighting industry. It is amazing to see so much support for the H Foundation from businesses and individuals located all over the United States.”