Published February 04. 2016 04:00PM
Noncommunion reds and whites will be paired with cheese and served at the historic St. Mark's Church in Jim Thorpe Friday night. The wine tasting event will be hosted by Aki Susko as a fundraiser for the Anastasia Susko Memorial Fund.
The event will take place from 7 to 10 p.m., and will include wine from local vineyards. A silent auction will take place with prizes including a 40-inch flat-screen TV, a suite at the Inn of Jim Thorpe, Big Time rafting trip for six on the Lehigh River, a two night all-inclusive mountain getaway for a family of four at Woodloch Resort, and Mauch Chunk Opera House gift certificates to name a few. Live music will be performed by Jim Thorpe duo Christie and Vince, along with Kyle O'Brien on the saxophone. Tickets are $30 per person or $50 per couple.Proceeds will be used for an annual scholarship given to a graduating woman from the Jim Thorpe Area High School. Donations will also be made to organization Angel 34, which helps children diagnosed with terminal illness.Ana was a well-loved 7-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, DIPG. The brain stem tumor took her from the world one year later at the age of 8.Her family worked with local sponsors Moya, St. Mark's, Big Creek Vineyards and Molly Maguires Pub to create a memorial fund honoring Ana's memory.The Anastasia Susko Memorial Fund continues to work with organizations Angel 34and the Blue Ridge Chapter of Dream Come True, which helped Ana's family during herillness.Tickets can be purchased at anastasiasusko.org/wine-cheese-tasting or by emailing Aki Susko directly at
akisusko@gmail.com.For more information on the Anastasia Susko Memorial Fund, visit
www.anastasiasusko.org, or donate at to Ana's GoFundMe page at
www.gofundme.com/icbrws.