Maggie's Mission 'Angelversary Gala' Coming To Centerport: 'Celebration Of Life'

CENTERPORT, NY — A Coachella-inspired festival helping children and families affected by pediatric cancers. People dressed to the nines in white. Delicious food, raffles, and dancing. A celebration of life. All of those things will encompass the Maggie's Mission "Seven in Heaven Angelversary Gala," held in memory of Maggie Schmidt.

Maggie, a local Harborfields student, died of malignant rhabdoid tumors on June 1, 2017. She was 17.

The gala is scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. May 31 at the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport — one day before Maggie lost her life to a rare pediatric cancer seven years ago. She would have turned 24 on Friday, April 19.

Maggie's Mission was founded by Donna DeSousa-Schmidt and Steve Schmidt in memory of their daughter. Maggie's Mission has been funding cancer research and helping families in need since 2017.

"We really try to make it a celebration of life," DeSousa-Schmidt told Patch. "As much as it is a fundraiser, we make it a celebration of Maggie's love of life and children, centering the evening around things she loved. We want people to have fun and enjoy themselves."

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Proceeds from the gala are dedicated to pediatric cancer research, treatment, and support services for affected children and their families.

People are asked to RSVP by May 17. Tickets, $250 each, can be purchased here.

The gala will feature cocktails in the courtyard and a champagne toast in the celebration tent. There will be raffles, a silent auction and lots of dancing. A live band will play during Cocktails in the Courtyard, and a DJ will perform in the tent after.

Joe Acquaviva, one of the teachers of Belle, a local Harborfields student, is in the band that will play during Cocktails in the Courtyard. Maggie's Mission made a recent donation to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in honor of Belle, who is battling rhabdomyosarcoma, as well as another local girl who is battling the same cancer.

DeSousa-Schmidt says she tries to incorporate themes into the galas that go back to things her daughter liked.

"Maggie was a huge music fan," she said.

Last year's gala theme was Glow for Gold, the color symbolizing pediatric cancer. Maggie's 16th birthday featured a glowing light theme.

DeSousa-Schmidt asks gala-goers to wear white because it is the color Maggie wore in her mother's brother's wedding party on June 1, 2014.

"It’s hard putting together an event like this," she said. "We always hope we get a lot of support — six months of planning goes into making it such a special evening. This year, in addition to boho-chic flower crowns, we'll have a Coachella vibe going throughout the evening with face-painting, decor and more."

Maggie's Mission is excited to welcome its special partner for the event, MMEink, which is catering the event.

DeSousa-Schmidt said The Vanderbilt is a "spectacular venue."

"It’s a beautiful, very special place," she said. "It’s a place where Maggie would have had her prom pictures taken had she lived long enough."

Each year, the gala is held around the time of year that Maggie died.

When Maggie was 14, she was asked by her aunt, Alicia, and uncle, Michael, along with her cousins, to be a bridesmaid at their wedding on June 1, 2014, according to DeSousa-Schmidt.

"It was a beautiful wedding on a spectacular spring day which was held at the Montauk Yacht Club, a place our family and Maggie loved," DeSousa-Schmidt wrote on the Maggie's Mission website. "When Maggie passed away, the fact that she had died on such a monumental day in our lives, and hers, a day which held such special memories for us, never entered our minds. We were too caught up in shock, disbelief, and sadness to think about anything else. It is now a day forever etched into our hearts and conjures awful memories of a young girl who didn’t want to die, yet had no choice. The beautiful memories stand in stark contrast to a harsh reality."

The first gala was held in 2018 in Montauk a year to the day after Maggie's death. The second was held in Montauk, as well. The family had to cancel 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus, but it has been held at the Vanderbilt since.

"We started to come up with themes for the past two years to make it special and different from other galas," said DeSousa-Schmidt, who is one of the masterminds behind branding the gala each year. Briana DiPardo, Samantha Laterza and Joan Motherway are additional organizers and reasons why the annual gala has been so successful.

Bridgehampton Equities has signed on as the main stage sponsor for the "Seven in Heaven Angelversary Gala," Maggie's Mission announced.

Maggie's Mission is seeking additional sponsors for the 2024 Angelversary Gala, including the "headlining act sponsor," of which there is only one. The headlining act sponsor is $25K, the main stage sponsorship is $10K, and the opening act sponsorship is $5K.

Parties interested in sponsoring the gala can call DeSousa-Schmidt at 631-219-6378 or email her at Donna@MaggiesMission.org.