The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced today that it will host its annual “A Magical Evening” Gala on Thursday, November 20, 2014, at Cipriani Wall Street.
The evening will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Christopher Reeve's passing.
This year’s event will honor Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) with the Dana Reeve HOPE Award and Travis Roy, Founder of the Travis Roy Foundation, with the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award. The evening will also pay tribute to Reeve Foundation friend and loyal supporter Robin Williams and will feature a very special performance by Alexa Ray Joel.
A Magical Evening will also honor a fallen hero, Arnold “Arnie” Snider, who passed away in 2014 and served as Vice Chair of the Reeve Foundation Board of Directors from 2005-2014. Often cited as the organization’s “north star” following the passing of both Christopher and Dana, the Reeve Foundation has renamed its Leadership Award to the Arnold H. Snider Visionary Leadership Award and will be presented to Arnie Snider posthumously as the inaugural recipient.
“This has been a landmark year for the Reeve Foundation. We have started to redefine what it means to live with paralysis thanks to groundbreaking research. At A Magical Evening we will have a chance celebrate the progress we have achieved, thank our supporters, and continue our work to deliver on my father’s dream – a world of empty wheelchairs,” said Matthew Reeve who serves as Vice Chair on the Reeve Foundation Board of Directors. “This year’s honorees Senator Harkin and Travis Roy are exemplary individuals who have worked tirelessly to accelerate change for the millions of Americans living with paralysis.”
Past recipients of the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award include Francesco Clark of Clark Botanicals, Paul Davarsa and The Walkabout Foundation. Past recipients of the Dana Reeve HOPE Award include Karen LeGrand (Co-Founder, Team LeGrand), the film The Intouchables and Marsha Garces Williams.
The Board of Directors includes John M. Hughes (Chairman), John E. McConnell (Vice Chairman), Henry G. Stifel, III (Vice Chairman), Matthew Reeve (Vice Chairman, International Development), Joel M. Faden (Treasurer), Jeffrey P. Cunard (Secretary), Peter T. Wilderotter (President & Chief Executive Officer), Timothy J. Connors, Stephen Evans-Freke, Simone George, Janet T. Hanson, Kelly Anne Heneghan, Esq., Lisa Henry Holmes, Daniel Heumann, Michael Hoog, Sal Iannuzzi, Anita McGorty, John Osborn, Timothy R. Pernetti, Mark Pollock, Will Reeve, Marci Surfas, Christopher Tagatac, Tania Lynn Taylor, Patricia J. Volland and James O. Welch, Jr.
The gala will take place on the heels of the most ambitious campaign launched in Reeve Foundation history. The Big Idea was unveiled in October to honor Christopher Reeve’s legacy by fast-tracking the most promising paralysis therapy to date — epidural stimulation. For more information on The Big Idea, visit: www.ReeveBigIdea.org.
Through the Reeve Foundation’s persistence and promise, neuroscientists around the world agree that repairing the damaged spinal cord is not a question of if, but a question of when. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. Proceeds from A Magical Evening enable the Reeve Foundation to continue its pivotal work.
