Last night I was honored to escort a young man named “Virgil” who was walking the runway at the incredible “Runway To Hope” event held at The Rosen Center Shingle Creek, to raise money for families whose child has been diagnosed with pediatric cancer!! Saint and I attended the event for the first time that is hosted annual by Attorney Mark NeJame and his wife Josie. This event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars to help patients and families of pediatric cancer, and was attended by over 2,000 people from central Florida with many of them being from Brevard!! Throughout the night I had the opportunity to meet and talk with many of our Brevard residents who have a child battling cancer, parents who unfortunately lost a courageous child to this disease, and even doctors, nurses, school teachers, and care givers from our community who give everything they have to help those in the darkest of times!! During the program hundreds of kids who have been diagnosed with cancer get to walk the runway sporting incredible outfits from Bloomingdale’s and last night I had the honor of escorting “Virgil” who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when he was just 14 months old. As we waited for our turn on the runway, I had the chance to hear from Virgil’s family about the challenges he faced not only medically, but that they as a family faced financially and professionally in their own careers!! Without “Runway To Hope” things would have been unbearable but because of all of the resources they provided and the great care of Virgil’s medical team, he is now doing great and as you can see from the photos…the crowd loved him!! I would like to personally thank Mark and Josie NeJame for inviting me to be a part of such an amazing event and for all they do to help the parents and kids impacted by this horrible disease!! Please visit runwaytohope.org for more information about this amazing organization, the resources they have available, and how you can volunteer to assist in their efforts!! Sheriff Wayne Ivey (fb)

Today I was honored to stop by and visit our great friend Pam Shaia with "Tails at the Barkery" in Cocoa Village. While everyone was excited to meet Saint, and he was definitely interested in all of the treats, this visit also had a special purpose. Pam so graciously had a donation to make to the Sheriff's Pet Posse in Junny's honor, after hosting an event and giving the proceeds to help the homeless pets at our Animal Care Center. Pam is an amazing advocate for animals in our community and she has made some incredible birthday cakes for Junny over the years, and I cannot thank her enough for her kindness and generosity. So if your four-legged furry friend is ever in need of some amazing treats, stop by "Tails at the Barkery" and Saint promises they won't be disappointed!! Sheriff Wayne Ivey (fb)