January 4, 2007

Contact:
Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera
NSU Public Affairs Office, (954) 262-5309

The 16th Annual Love♥Jen Family Festival
NSU to host fund-raising event to benefit
Love♥Jen Fund at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – South Florida families are invited to a full day of fun, food, and entertainment as Nova Southeastern University hosts the 16th Annual Love♥Jen Family Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, February 3, 2007.

Join thousands of families for an entire day of games, rides, hands-on discovery activities, music, raffles, prizes and entertainment. Whether it rains or shines, we’re covered. The Love Jen Family Festival is held on the Davie Campus of NSU in front of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center located at 3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Boulevard. Since its inception in 1991, the festival has raised more than $1.5 million for the Love♥Jen Fund housed at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. 

The Love Jen Fund provides funding for cancer support services for families of children coping with cancer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. The fund was established in 1991 by Nick and Wendy Masi in loving memory of their daughter Jennifer, who died of cancer at age 14.

More than 300 volunteers, community groups, businesses and schools devote their time by helping to plan, organize, and staff the Love♥Jen Family Festival. All supplies and services are either donated or underwritten, allowing 100 percent of the proceeds to go directly to the Love♥Jen Fund. 

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is recognized by national associations and local publications for its unsurpassed commitment to providing high quality healthcare to the South Florida community and beyond. A premier provider of pediatric healthcare services, it has the largest, most diverse group of pediatric specialists in the region.

NSU, with more than 26,000 students, is the largest independent institution of higher education in the Southeast, and the 6th largest independent not-for-profit institution of higher education in the United States. NSU awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields.

For information regarding the event, please contact Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera at 954-262-5309.

Log on to http://www.nova.edu/msi/ for more information on the Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies, its events and programs.