A recent benefit concert featuring comedian Ray Romano and musician Elvis Costello raised about $15 million for the expansion of Schneider Children’s Hospital. In addition to those proceeds, a major gift from the Blumenfeld family, longtime supporters of the children’s hospital, will enable the hospital to begin construction on the $110 million project this fall, instead of next year as originally planned.

Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano and musician Elvis Costello headlined a recent fundraiser for Schneider Children's Hospital at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan that raised about $15 million for a major expansion of the 152-bed children's hospital. With Romano are, from right, Rory Rosegarten, Romano’s manager and a North Shore-LIJ Health System associate trustee; Dennis Riese, a North Shore-LIJ trustee and chairman and CEO of The Riese Organization; and Mr. Riese's wife Randi. Among the items auctioned during the event was a Gibson guitar signed by Elvis Costello and presented by the English singer-songwriter to the successful bidders.

The concert, held May 1 at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan, marked the launch of the public phase of the fundraising campaign for the expansion of 152-bed hospital, which is ranked among the top two in the metropolitan area by Child and New York magazines.

The expansion project features a new 100,000-square-foot building that will include 75 medical/surgical beds, the New York region’s first and only stand-alone pediatric emergency department, and a new pediatric intensive care unit and imaging center. In a s separate $22 million project scheduled to begin in June, the hospital is expanding its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by building a new 5,900-square-foot addition that will result in 24 new beds for high-risk newborns, and constructing a 20,000-square-foot, four-story glass-enclosed atrium that will include a playground for hospitalized children, a performance stage, winter garden and areas dedicated to pet, music and art therapy.

The benefit concert, which drew nearly 1,000 people, was hosted jointly by the North Shore-LIJ Health System Foundation and the Children’s Medical Fund of New York, a philanthropic organization that raises funds for Schneider Children’s Hospital. Among the other highlights of the event was the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, executive director and chief-of-staff at SCH. Other honorees included the past 25 recipients of the Children’s Medical Fund’s Bernard L. Martin Award.

For additional information, contact Kevin Dwyer in the North Shore-LIJ Foundation at 516-465-2569.

Media Contact: Terry Lynam 516-465-2600