Starlight Children's Foundation Announces Generous Gift From Dave Koz and His Community

Starlight Children's Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering happiness to seriously ill children and their families, has announced a gift from Dave Koz, a longtime ambassador for Starlight Children's Foundation for over 25 years.

After a two-year pause because of the pandemic, the Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruise returned to open waters in May, destined to Amsterdam and the British Isles. Through live and silent auctions held onboard the sold-out "floating jazz" cruise, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Koz and his community raised $136,000 for Starlight.

Adam Garone, Starlight Children's Foundation CEO, said, "We're incredibly grateful to Dave, a Starlight Ambassador, and his generous community for the continuous support, helping us bring smiles to seriously ill kids and their families. This gift will help us continue our work delivering fun experiences so that hospitalized kids forget about their illnesses for just a moment and rediscover the joy of childhood."

For over 40 years, Starlight Children's Foundation has delivered happiness to over 21 million seriously ill children and their families through innovative programs that provide play and distraction, helping them get through the pain and stress of medical procedures and conditions. These programs - like Starlight Gaming, Starlight Virtual Reality, Starlight Hospital Wear and Starlight Deliveries of toys and games - are offered across 800 U.S. children's hospitals to help young patients heal and thrive.

"It's been over 25 years since I first witnessed the incredible, life-changing work Starlight does for kids who need it most, and I've been a huge fan ever since. Over the years, it's been so gratifying to see our cruise guests come to feel that same passion. I'm beyond proud of this amazingly generous community of caring people for what they've done to bring some much-needed brightness to these kids' lives," said Koz.

The entertainment lineup comprised over 100 musicians and artists, including Dutch alto saxophonist/singer Candy Dulfer, two-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist Mindi Abair, master of the trumpet Rick Braun, South African guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Butler, comedian Tommy Davidson, and singer-songwriter-saxophonist and Starlight Kid alumnus Austin Gatus, just to name a few.

When he was nine years old, Gatus was treated for Leukemia at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. As a Starlight Kid, he was invited to perform with Koz during the 2009 Starlight charity gala.

In an earlier interview, Austin said, "As a saxophonist, he's one of the greatest inspirations on how I shape my sound and my phrasing. I had known about him before I met him, but after we played together, he became one of my biggest inspirations and on top of that, he became a friend and mentor."

The cruise, which Koz launched in 2005 and has featured such Grammy-winning performers as Michael McDonald, Michael Bolton, Sheila E., Chris Botti, Jeffrey Osborne, Patti Austin and Larry Graham in the past, has collectively raised more than $1.25 million for Starlight.

Koz said the idea to incorporate the Starlight Silent Auction into his "floating jazz festival" began in 2011.

To learn more about the Starlight Children's Foundation, please visit starlight.org.