Local Artists Raise Money for Baby with Leukemia

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

New and original art will be on sale to benefit the Silva family.

A group of local artists from Elevation Exhibits will host a fundraiser to help one of their co-workers deal with his child’s difficult battle.

Dave Silva, the creative director at Elevation, received the devastating news that his then one-year-old daughter Charlotte had AML Leukemia the day after Christmas in 2011. As is to be expected, medical bills began to pile up, so tomorrow members of Elevation will host “Art from The Heart” to benefit the Silva Family.

“I didn't really know too much about it,” Silva said. "When this was being organized I was mostly in the hospital... Our family is basically just the recipient of the greatest boss anybody could ever ask for. (Event organizer) Jim (Burke) has done so much for us."

Young Charlotte has shown remarkable tenaciousness and, with the help of the medical care of the staff at UMass Memorial Medical Center and her loving family, has made it through the first round of chemotherapy, pushing her leukemia into remission. To help the Silva’s continue to battle this devastating, but beatable disease, the art show will run from 4-6 pm at Allgos in Worcester.

Admission will be $5 to get in, and new original works of art will be for sale, courtesy of Dave Silva’s colleagues and friends at Elevation.

“It's amazing,” Silva said. "People are supplying art work who I didn't even know painted. I'm seeing work from my co-workers that is really, really good, and I didn't even know they could paint."

The art for sale will include original prints, jewelry and other artisan pieces. There will also be live music for entertainment, along with refreshments and food available, with all profits going to the Silva Family.

“The reality of it is this will all help Charlotte,” Silva said. "She has gotten through a mini-milestone with her first round of chemotherapy, but with her type of leukemia, we don't know what the future holds. If anybody would like to help this baby, in any way, I think that would be amazing, and if it all works out, maybe some of this money can go toward paying for her college someday."