500 Guests Gather for Cirquetacular Gala Honoring Families Who Turned the Loss of a Child into Action 

KEY POINTS

• R Baby Foundation and COPE Foundation raised nearly $2 million at the sold out Cirquetacular Gala on October 21, 2026, bringing 500 supporters to Capitale in New York City to honor families who have turned the loss of a child into action.
• Honorees Chinh Chu (Visionary Award) and Libby & Scooter Weintraub (Courage Award) were recognized in a program emceed by FOX 5 New York's Tina Cervasio, with Sheryl Crow introducing the Weintraubs in a recorded video message. Jesse Bongiovi joined guests on behalf of Hampton Water Rosé, co-founded with his father Jon Bon Jovi, and soul singer Jac Ross closed the night.
• Funds support R Baby's work to make every ER ready for every child and COPE's free grief support for bereaved families. 2,100 children still die each year in emergency rooms unprepared to treat them, and 83% of U.S. emergency departments are not fully prepared for a pediatric emergency, and there is no national standard requiring them to be.

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 500 supporters, physicians, advocates, and families filled Capitale (130 Bowery, New York, NY 10003) on Wednesday, October 21, for Cirquetacular - a cirque-inspired gala co-hosted by R Baby Foundation and COPE Foundation that raised nearly $2 million to make every emergency room in America ready for every child and to support families living with the loss of a child. The evening also marked 20 years since Phyllis and Andrew Rabinowitz founded R Baby Foundation after losing their nine-day-old daughter, Rebecca, in an emergency room unprepared to treat her.

"Twenty years ago, we walked into an emergency room with our daughter and walked out without her. Last night, 500 people stood with us and said that should never happen to another family. We will not stop until every ER in America is ready for every child," said Phyllis Rabinowitz, Co-Founder and Co-President of R Baby Foundation.

AN EVENING OF HONORING FAMILIES & SAVING CHILDREN'S LIVES

Emceed by FOX 5 New York's Tina Cervasio, the program opened with a candle-lighting led by COPE Executive Director Mary Denning, followed by a live auction, dinner, an aerial performance and a live appeal. Hampton Water Rosé, co-founded by Jon Bon Jovi and Jesse Bongiovi, served as official rosé partner, with Jesse Bongiovi among the guests, and soul singer Jac Ross closed the night. Co-chairs were Andrew Rabinowitz and Douglas Newton.

"The support we've received reflects two decades of partnership with the physicians, institutions, sponsors and families who have made R Baby Foundation's work possible. We are grateful to our honorees, our co-chair Doug Newton, our Presenting Lifesaving Sponsors CC Capital and Skadden, and to COPE Foundation for joining us in an evening that honored both the families we serve and the progress we have made together," said Andrew Rabinowitz, Co-Founder and Co-President of R Baby Foundation.

Chinh Chu, founder of CC Capital, received the Visionary Award, and Libby and Scooter Weintraub received the Courage Award in memory of their daughter, Magnolia Grace, introduced by Sheryl Crow in a recorded video message.

"R Baby and COPE provide critical support to families during some of their most challenging moments. My colleagues at CC Capital and I are honored to support R Baby's work to advance lifesaving emergency care for children and COPE's work to help families navigate unimaginable loss. I am grateful to both organizations for their dedication to the families they serve," said Chinh Chu, Founder and Senior Managing Director of CC Capital and recipient of the 2026 Visionary Award.

THE CRISIS BEHIND THE CELEBRATION

Every year, 2,100 children die in emergency rooms unprepared to treat them. 83% of U.S. emergency departments lack the equipment, training and protocols to care for children, despite 30 million pediatric ER visits annually. Proven solutions and a National Pediatric Readiness checklist created by medical experts do exist and cost as little as $0 to $12 per child, yet they are not mandated by law.

Since Rebecca Rabinowitz's death in 2006, R Baby Foundation has raised over $18 million, trained 6,500+ physicians across 1,000+ hospitals, established INSPIRE, the world's largest pediatric simulation-based research network, and built a coalition of leading medical institutions including Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Mount Sinai that positively impacts over one million children annually. Its advocacy has contributed to pediatric readiness laws in Texas, Florida and Utah, with momentum building toward federal action through the Babies' and Children's Babies' and Children's Emergency Care Act (BECA), a national policy initiative aimed at ensuring all emergency rooms are equipped to meet the unique needs of infants and children.

SUPPORTING FAMILIES THROUGH LOSS

COPE Foundation, founded by Lillian Julien after the loss of her daughter Michelle in 1992, served more than 1,100 families and individuals in 2025 through professionally facilitated support groups, Camp COPE NY, and healing programs. Together, the two organizations represent both sides of a journey no family expects: R Baby's work to prevent these deaths, and COPE's commitment to the families left behind.

"The generosity in that room will carry families through the hardest days of their lives. On behalf of COPE and every parent, sibling and child we serve, thank you to R Baby Foundation, our honorees, our sponsors and every guest who made this event possible," said Lillian Julien, Founder of COPE Foundation.

Funds raised support R Baby's pediatric emergency readiness programs and COPE's grief support services. The gala was made possible in part by Presenting Lifesaving Sponsors CC Capital and Skadden.

Event photography and videography is linked here and event press kit is available upon request.

For more information, media inquiries, or to speak with representatives from R Baby Foundation or COPE Foundation, please contact Jessica Buono of Pitch Parlor PR via email at jbuono@pitchparlorpr.com or by phone at (732) 740-5751.

ABOUT R BABY FOUNDATION:
R Baby Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ensuring every child in America receives prepared emergency care. Since 2006, R Baby has raised $18 million and trained 6,500+ physicians across 1,000+ hospitals to recognize and treat pediatric emergencies. Working with leading Children's Hospitals, EMSC, and advocacy partners, R Baby has impacted the lives of over 1 million children annually and is driving federal momentum for the Babies and Children's Emergency Care Act (BECA). For more information, please visit, www.rbabyfoundation.org.

ABOUT COPE FOUNDATION
The Connecting Our Paths Eternally Foundation (COPE) is a nonprofit grief and healing organization founded by bereaved parents for families living with the loss of a loved one. Through support groups, workshops, and educational resources, COPE provides a safe space for individuals to grieve and heal alongside others who understand. For more information, please visit, www.copefoundation.org.

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SOURCE R Baby Foundation