Frankie Valli set to perform at Lake Club

Staff report

POLAND

A special night at The Lake Club will feature singing icon Frankie Valli performing to benefit two local institutions.

Tickets are on sale for $100 for the intimate Aug. 20 event.

Proceeds will go to The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

As special as the show will be, so too is the purpose, said event organizer Mary Pipino, CEO of the Donald P. Pipino Co.

The clinic’s wellness institute is at the forefront of reducing lifestyle-induced disease, she said. Valli is a friend of Dr. Michael Roizen, chairman of the wellness institute, and he, too, wanted to do something to help the program.

“I met Frankie through Dr. Roizen and we started working on this in 2014,” said Pipino, who is on the fundraising council for the wellness institute.

The facility is directed by Dr. Michael F. Roizen, who has four No. 1 books on the New York Times Bestsellers’ list. He and Valli will serve as honorees for the evening.

“We think of wellness as losing weight,” said Pipino. “The focus of Dr. Roizen and the Institute is to attack the poor choices of our lifestyle. We’re not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. We’re eating too many refined foods. We’re tied to our computers; we want the closest parking space. This is affecting children and adults.”

Pipino said the institute’s hope is that if we adopt healthier habits, our chances of recovery are better and reoccurrences are reduced. Making healthy choices is in step with the new Success After 6 program being launched by the United Way this year in Youngstown.

This initiative will take place at Youngstown Community School and is in partnership with the Central YMCA and others.

It will provide tutoring, supplemental programming and after-school support for YCS’s kindergarten through third-grade students.

The $100 tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster as can VIP dinner packages at $625. Special sponsorships and after-concert gala access are also for sale. Call 330-729-7122.

Valli is music royalty who launched in 1962 as a member of the Four Seasons. His popularity surges through today based on the musical and movie success of “Jersey Boys,” which chronicles Valli and the Four Seasons. Combined, Valli and the Four Seasons produced 40 songs that made the Top 40, including “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “Oh What a Night.”

Pipino has been more than a fan of Valli’s.

“Since I was a young girl, he has been one of my biggest crushes. It is so wonderful to have two people I so admire in life – Roizen and Valli – in town for a great event,” Pipino said.