Cindy Crawford To Receive Honor

The world’s largest marrow donor center will honor Cindy Crawford at a special event in May.

The second annual Linked Against Leukemia Gala will take place on May 7 in New York to raise money for the Deutsche Knochemarkspenderdatei (better known as the DKMS or German Bone Marrow Donor Center), an organization that boasts 1.6 million registered donors and has facilitated over 13,000 transplants. The Center is committed to the fight against leukemia, and recruits donors from every race and ethnicity to help blood cancer patients receive life-saving transplants.

The gala event will be hosted by actor Mario Cantone and will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, and a performance from platinum-selling recording artist Sarah Connor.

“I am thrilled to be part of this evening,” said Crawford, who will be honored for her humanitarian work. “This is a cause that is very close to my heart and I hope we are able to raise awareness and funds for DKMS.”

Last year’s gala featured a performance by Rihanna, who recently helped find a donor for a mother in New York suffering from leukemia and in dire need of a transplant.

“We are excited to be celebrating our second annual gala, and are grateful for the support we continue to receive,” said Katharina Harf, Executive President of DKMS. “More than 140,000 people in the US are diagnosed each year with life-threatening blood diseases, such as leukemia and lymphoma, and leukemia is the most common disease children in the US die of. Our goal is to raise funds so that we can recruit 30,000 new donors this year.”

Ticket prices for the event start at $1,000, and more information can be found at www.dkmsamerica.org.