Partner Daniel P. O’Toole was honored to receive the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s Philanthropic Leadership Award at its 2026 Annual Celebrity Gala. The award recognizes individuals who have shown an exceptional commitment to curing pediatric cancer.
The Cristian Rivera Foundation (CRF) was founded in 2009 to find a cure for D.I.P.G., a rare and deadly childhood brain tumor. Thanks to the foundation’s incredible efforts in increasing access to clinical trials and funding research into new treatments, children with D.I.P.G. are living longer than ever before.
Mr. O’Toole has always worked to fight for the underdog. As a plaintiff personal injury attorney, he has spent his career going up against seemingly insurmountable odds to obtain justice for injured workers. He has maintained the spirit of that fight outside the courtroom, where he has been a longtime supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, One Mission, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, and Pony Power Therapies – all organizations that work to support pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Stars Come Together for a Good Cause
The event was held at Cipriani Wall Street, where celebrities, donors, and families all gathered to celebrate the progress made to treat D.I.P.G. and raise funds to support the doctors searching for a cure. Alongside Mr. O’Toole, four other awardees were honored, including former MLB player David Cone, Lenox Hill’s own chair of neurosurgery Dr. David Langer, CRF board member Marisol Chalas, and D.I.P.G. survivor Lisha Ayala.
Block O’Toole & Murphy was a gold sponsor of the event, hosted by SNL comedian Kenan Thomson, actor Luis Guzman, and NBC Today anchor Darlene Rodriguez (all board members of the CRF). The night featured live and silent auctions, speeches from the incredible honorees, and impressive performances from talented musicians and dancers. By the end of the night, over $200,000 had been raised to support the CRF’s vital mission.
During the program, acclaimed actors Chazz Palminteri and Bo Dietl presented Mr. O’Toole with the Philanthropic Leadership Award.
“We’re here today to focus on this terrible disease. But we’ll focus on it with hearts full of love,” Mr. O’Toole said in his acceptance speech. “What makes this night unique is that we are all, each and every one of us assembled in this room tonight, united by love.”
Fighting to End Pediatric Brain Cancer
Thanks in part to the work of the CRF, huge leaps have been made in D.I.P.G. treatment. CRF Founder John “Gungie” Rivera founded the organization after losing his own son to the disease. After such a devastating loss, he swore he would do whatever it takes to support other families managing the diagnosis and, hopefully, find a cure once and for all.
Mr. O’Toole is proud to continue supporting that all-too-important mission.
“I know it’s not supposed to happen again, that this beautiful group of people will be together in this room,” said Mr. O’Toole. “But tonight, let’s leave with a prayer that it will happen again. It will happen again when we get the great news that we have a cure and that the last parent has received that dreaded phone call.”