The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation hosted the “Rockin’ Vegas for the Cure” concert at B.B. King'’s Blues Club at the Mirage. It was the inaugural event of its kind, and the entertainment community of Las Vegas came together to donate time and resources, from musicians to stage crew to event space. Rosann Braun, whose five-year-old son suffers from type 1 diabetes, came up with the idea for the fund-raiser and put it together.
“I had the idea to do a fund-raiser for J.D.R.F. a long time ago," Braun said. "I have a lot of contacts and friends in the music industry because my oldest son, 13, is a drummer, and I got nine Las Vegas bands to agree to do an event with me, but I didn’t have a venue. My 5-year-old and I are part of J.D.R.F., and when I heard that they had spoken to B.B. King’s Blues Club and the venue wanted to do something for juvenile diabetes, I organized a meeting with J.D.R.F. and B.B. King’s and told them my ideas.”
It took six months of planning, three months of it intensive, according to Braun. There was a V.I.P. section with with food and specialty drinks. Entertainment included a comedian, balloon figures, face painting, and magicians for the kids. Speakers took the stage between performances by Nuff Said, Fifth Avenue, Tim Scott/Brad Cordle Band, Yellow Brick Road, Dangerous Curves, Jim Buck, Desert Outlaws, Paul Shortino, and B.B. King’s own PJ Barth Band. Frank Zhaborsky served as the evening's comedian.
“It was my first big event, so I kept it low-key in terms of a budget,” Braun said. “Everything was planned by me and made by me, and I had a lot of support from friends and J.D.R.F."
