October 21 NYC Gala Marks 20 Years of Lifesaving Progress in Pediatric Emergency Care, Honors Families Affected by Loss & Fuels Push for Federal Legislation

KEY POINTS

• R Baby Foundation and COPE Foundation co-host Cirquetacular, a signature gala on October 21, 2026, in New York City. The event celebrates 20 years of R Baby’s work transforming pediatric emergency care while honoring COPE’s mission to support families navigating grief.
• R Baby Foundation has raised $18 million, trained 6,500+ physicians across 1,000+ hospitals, and impacted over 1 million children annually as a catalyst for national change in pediatric emergency life-saving preparedness. COPE Foundation supports grieving families through specialized programs including Camp COPE NY and community healing initiatives.
• Despite advances, 2,100 children still die annually in unprepared emergency rooms; 83% of U.S. emergency departments lack required training and protocols. R Baby’s advocacy has catalyzed legislative action in three states (Texas, Florida, Utah), proving that change is possible.

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — R Baby Foundation and COPE Foundation announce Cirquetacular, a signature fundraising gala taking place Wednesday, October 21, 2026, beginning at 6:00 PM at Capitale (130 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017) in New York City. The event celebrates 20 years of life-saving impact and brings together supporters, advocates, and community leaders committed to ensuring every child in America has access to prepared emergency care.

“No parent should walk into an emergency room and walk out without their child, knowing that prepared care, the training, equipment, and best chance of survival every child deserves, was never there. That is what happened to us. That is what happens to 2,100 families every year. And that is exactly why R Baby Foundation exists,” said Phyllis Rabinowitz, Co-Founder of R Baby Foundation. 

THE SILENT CRISIS AFFECTING CHILDREN ACROSS AMERICA

Every year, 2,100 children die in emergency rooms unprepared to treat them. The U.S. has no national standards for pediatric emergency care. 83% of emergency departments lack the equipment, training, and protocols required to care for children, despite 30 million pediatric ER visits annually. Proven solutions and a National Pediatric Readiness checklist created by medical experts do exist and cost as little as $0 to $12 per child, yet they are not mandated by law.

In 2006, nine-day-old Rebecca Rabinowitz died in an unprepared emergency room, exposing a systemic failure affecting thousands of children. Her family refused to stay silent. Driven by a parent’s unwavering love and determination to seek justice for children, Phyllis and Andrew Rabinowitz founded R Baby Foundation, an organization that has spent 20 years catalyzing a national movement to ensure every child in America has access to prepared, life-saving emergency care.

But this work became so much bigger than one family’s loss. Over the last 20 years, approximately over 17,000 children have died in unprepared emergency rooms-each one representing a family forever changed by preventable loss. R Baby Foundation made a solemn promise to those families: their children would not be forgotten. That promise has driven two decades of extraordinary impact. R Baby has raised $18 million, trained 6,500+ physicians, established INSPIRE, the world’s largest pediatric simulation-based research network reaching 492 sites across 46 countries, and built a coalition of leading medical institutions including Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Mount Sinai that has positively impacted over one million children annually.

What began as one family’s determination to seek answers has grown into a national movement that is fundamentally changing how America prepares for pediatric emergencies. R Baby Foundation’s advocacy and awareness efforts have contributed to real policy change. Three states have enacted legislation mandating pediatric emergency readiness standards: Texas, Florida, and Utah. As institutional change accelerates, momentum is building toward federal action through the Babies’ and Children’s Emergency Care Act (BECA), a national policy initiative aimed at ensuring all emergency rooms are equipped to meet the unique needs of infants and children.

AN EVENING OF HONORING LOSS & SUPPORTING HEALING

Cirquetacular is co-hosted with COPE Foundation, a grief and healing organization founded by bereaved parents for families living with loss. Together, the two organizations represent both prevention and healing: R Baby’s work to stop tragedy before it happens, and COPE’s commitment to support families navigating grief.

“At COPE, we walk alongside families who have lost children – families like the Rabinowitz’s,” said Lillian Julien, founder of COPE Foundation. “When prevention and grief support come together, we refuse to accept loss as inevitable, because loss doesn’t have to be the end of the story. That’s what this moment demands, and what we look forward to celebrating on October 21.” 

COPE Foundation was founded by Lillian Julien after the loss of her daughter, Michelle, in 1992. Inspired to help grieving families find community and healing, Lillian created COPE to ensure that no one has to navigate child loss alone. Through Camp COPE NY, bereavement support groups, and specialized programming, COPE provides compassionate grief support, education, and community connection. In 2024 alone, COPE supported 500+ participants across 24 support groups, reflecting the growing need for these vital services.

“Twenty years later, Cirquetacular is our celebration of what this movement has built and our commitment to what we still have to finish. In partnership with COPE, this event honors every family who has experienced this devastating loss and renews our promise to the families we can still protect. Every child deserves a prepared emergency room. We will not stop until that is a guarantee,” said Andrew Rabinowitz, Co-Founder of R Baby Foundation.

The evening honors those lost and celebrates lives saved through prepared emergency care. Live performances, fundraising opportunities, and remarks from honored guests will support R Baby and COPE’s mission to advance pediatric emergency preparedness and grief support, while renewing the call for federal action to ensure every emergency room in America is prepared for every child.

For more information on sponsorships, attendance, media inquiries, or to speak to Phyllis Rabinowitz from R Baby Foundation or a representative from the COPE Foundation, please contact Jessica Buono of Pitch Parlor PR via email at jbuono@pitchparlorpr.com or by phone at (732) 740-5751.

ABOUT R BABY FOUNDATION:
R Baby Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ensuring every child in America receives prepared emergency care. Since 2006, R Baby has raised $18 million and trained 6,500+ physicians across 1,000+ hospitals to recognize and treat pediatric emergencies. Working with leading Children’s Hospitals, EMSC, and advocacy partners, R Baby has impacted the lives of over 1 million children annually and is driving federal momentum for the Babies and Children’s Emergency Care Act (BECA). For more information, please visit, www.rbabyfoundation.org.

ABOUT COPE FOUNDATION
The Connecting Our Paths Eternally Foundation (COPE) is a nonprofit grief and healing organization founded by bereaved parents for families living with the loss of a loved one. Through support groups, workshops, and educational resources, COPE provides a safe space for individuals to grieve and heal alongside others who understand. For more information, please visit, www.copefoundation.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
R Baby Foundation
Jessica Buono, Pitch Parlor PR
E: jbuono@pitchparlorpr.com
P: (732) 740-5751

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SOURCE R Baby Foundation