The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis will honor a group of prominent Sports Legends and Honorees when it hosts its 30th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on Tuesday, October 6, 2015.
The annual event, hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son Marc, and chaired by Mark Dalton, raises funds to support the ground-breaking spinal cord injury research done by researchers at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis – the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center, which is based at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
NBC News Icon Tom Brokaw will serve as Master of Ceremonies and the event will feature live performances by The Beach Boys and The Pointer Sisters.
The 2015 Great Sports Legends include Jorge Posada, Karl Malone, Ray Lewis, John Stockton, Michelle Kwan, Victor Espinoza, Jennifer Capriati and Chip Ganassi. Honorees for the evening include Gloria and Emilio Estefan who will receive The Buoniconti Fund Inspiration Award, and Humanitarian Award recipients Orianne and Phil Collins.
The celebration assembles sports legends, celebrities, philanthropic icons and corporate leaders to support the efforts of The Buoniconti Fund Board of Directors and numerous longtime benefactors. Tickets start at $850 per person and can be purchased by phone at (305)-243-4656 or here.
Honorees for the evening include:
• The Buoniconti Fund Inspiration Award Recipients, Gloria and Emilio Estefan– Twenty-six-time GRAMMY Award-winning power couple Emilio and Gloria Estefan, whose highly-anticipated biographical musical On Your Feet! starts performances on Broadway October 5, will receive this year’s Buoniconti Fund Inspiration Award. One of the most celebrated couples in music, Gloria and Emilio Estefan know the importance of giving back to the community founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation, aimed at reaching those who struggle outside the safeguards of society by promoting good health, education, and cultural development. Following her own brush with paralysis Gloria teamed up with The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis in 1994 and served as the capital campaign director of The Miami Project’s new building campaign that raised more than $40 million.
• Humanitarian Award Recipients, Orianne and Phil Collins – Phil Collins is one of the most successful songwriters and performers of all time. Collins had dozens of hit albums and singles in the UK and the US between 1976 and 2010, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. He is one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the 1980s and beyond. Phil and Orianne are co-founder of the Little Dreams Foundation (LDF), an international charity which fulfills the dreams of young aspiring talents without financial means to achieve their goals. The LDF helps children thrive by supporting them with personalized training and supervision in music, arts and sports by godparent mentors, providing them with optimal opportunity for success, and potentially advance toward a professional career in the field of their true passion. In order to reach its mission, LDF is helped by numerous godparents, sponsors and technical advisors. Orianne is a jewelry designer and philanthropist and serves as chairman of the Little Dreams Foundation.
“For 30 years The Miami Project has provided real hope to those living with paralysis. Today there is tangible evidence through our groundbreaking clinical trials that a cure for paralysis is within our grasp,” said Nick Buoniconti, Founder of The Buoniconti Fund. “Paralysis does not discriminate, a spinal cord injury can happen to anyone at any time, so we must continue to raise awareness and funds to support research that will ultimately lead to a cure for paralysis. We are honored that so many legendary athletes and influential figures continue to help us stand up for those who cannot.”
“Legend Alumni” and Honorees include Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays, Magic Johnson, Tony Hawk, Cal Ripken, Jr., Gloria Estefan, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, George Foreman, Julio Iglesias, Helio Castroneves, Troy Aikman, Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Joe Namath, Pedro Martinez, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dan Marino, Mike Piazza, Pat Riley, Grant Hill, Bill Cowher, Kelly Slater, Joe Torre and many other athletes and heroes who recognize that paralyzing injuries can and do occur in the pursuit of athletic careers and everyday lives.
The 30th anniversary event is expected to sell out and raise millions of dollars for the spinal cord injury research programs at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored more than 300 sports legends and honorees and has raised more than $100 million for The Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs. The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, through the research efforts of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, is committed to finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and to seeing millions worldwide walk again.
Sponsorships and opportunities to sit with legends are also available. The evening will begin with cocktails, then a performance by The Pointer Sisters, followed by dinner and a performance by The Beach Boys and then the awards presentation. For more information, click here.
