Laura Petasnick, Publisher of Prevention, has announced the honorees of the magazine’s second annual “Prevention Honors Hollywood Heroes,” an evening in celebration of remarkable women committed to making a world of difference.
The event, to be held at the Sunset Tower Hotel on June 21, 2011, will honor Emmy and Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth on behalf of Maddie’s Corner, Emmy Award-winner and Golden Globe nominee Marg Helgenberger on behalf of The Race to Erase MS, Holly Robinson-Peete on behalf of The HollyRod Foundation and the late Laura Ziskin on behalf of Stand Up To Cancer, for their remarkable commitment to philanthropic causes. Asics will once again team with Prevention as the evening’s presenting sponsor.
- Founded by actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth, Maddie’s Corner celebrates the bond between people and their pets while lending a helping paw to those in need. Its their mission to bring attention and support to animals in need – more specifically, homeless animals in shelters/rescue – and groups working on their behalf, as well as to highlight the many ways animals help people in need and enrich our lives. It hopes to increase awareness about responsible pet ownership and the joys of including animals in our lives, to educate about and to inspire humane attitudes toward animals, and to provide resources to those groups working directly with animals in need as well as those working with animals to assist people in need. In addition, we will periodically initiate activities benefiting human causes that will include the participation of animals to convey our message. The hallmark of Maddie’s Corner is that animals, whether as the message or the messengers, will always be active participants in our activities.
- In 1993, Nancy Davis founded The Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis and held the first Race to Erase MS event – an intimate ski getaway weekend in Aspen, Colorado – that pulled in over $1.3 million for the Foundation. Since its inception, the Race to Erase MS has become an exciting star-studded gala. The foundation has gained the support of many key individuals in the fashion and entertainment worlds, including Tommy Hilfiger who has been a major sponsor since 1997 and who has a sister living with MS. The annual Race to Erase MS event has raised over $30 million for multiple sclerosis research to date. All proceeds directly fund the foundation’s Center Without Walls program, a selected network of the nation’s top seven MS research centers. This nationwide collaboration of physicians, scientists and clinicians are on the cutting-edge of innovative research programs and therapeutic approaches to eradicate MS. The Centers work as a team constantly communicating, never duplicating. It was the goal of Nancy Davis to build a winning team and the Foundation sought out the best and the brightest MS research facilities throughout the world. It is the hope of her Foundation that in addition to combating MS through research in a clinical environment, that an increased awareness will be created by educating the public about this devastating disease.
- Inspired by a father and a son, HollyRod Foundation was founded in 1997 by actress, author and philanthropist Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL great Rodney Peete. The HollyRod Foundation is dedicated to providing compassionate care to those living with Autism and Parkinson’s disease. Efforts of the HollyRod Foundation are providing a better quality of life for individuals and their families.
- Founded in May, 2008, the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) movement raises funds to hasten the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. Stand Up To Cancer has raised more than $100 million, and provided funding to five Dream Teams comprising over 200 exemplary scientists whose projects aim to produce results benefiting patients within the grants’ three-year term, as well as 13 young investigators whose innovative, “high risk/high reward” research would not likely receive funding from conventional sources. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is Stand Up To Cancer’s scientific partner. Major League Baseball was the lead donor to contribute to Stand Up To Cancer; among the many others are Sidney Kimmel, Amgen, AARP, Bloomberg Philanthropies, GlaxoSmithKline, Wallis Annenberg & The Annenberg Foundation. Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501©(3) nonprofit organization that serves as a collective philanthropy for the television and film businesses. Co-founder Laura Ziskin – who will be honored at this event – passed away from cancer last week.
“Prevention’s mission is to empower women to live healthier, happier lives, everyday. Our 2011 Hollywood Heroes are truly awe-inspiring women who embody this message by using their star power to improve the lives of others. We’re so honored to salute this amazing group,” said Laura Petasnick, Publisher, Prevention.
The evening will commence with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by an awards presentation spotlighting each of the honorees and her unique contribution to the world of philanthropy.
