Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Raises Largest Sum To Date - More Than Two Million Dollars For Spinal Cord Research

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
Wednesday, 15 November 2000

(SPRINGFIELD, NJ, November 15) -A Magical Evening, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation's (CRPF) annual black tie gala held at the Waldorf Astoria last night, raised more than two million dollars, the highest amount ever raised by CRPF in one evening. Co-hosted by actors Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson, the event attracted such celebrities as Billy Baldwin, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Kim Cattrall, Patricia Hearst, and Buzz Aldrin, along with top moguls of the corporate and financial worlds.

The announcement came today from Mitchell R. Stoller, Chief Executive Officer and President of CRPF. Over $500,000 was raised during a live auction, with packages including dinner with Robin and Marsha Williams, a French Riviera getaway, and a March weekend of skiing with celebrities at the 2001 DLJdirect American Ski Classic in Vail, Colorado.

"The event was an absolute success, surpassing not only our goal, but our expectations as well. It was a fitting way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of A Magical Evening," Stoller commented. He added, "This outpouring of support is overwhelming and invigorating, and propels us that much further to finding a cure for paralysis."

Jack Hughes, acting CEO of Tallán, Inc., an Internet professional services firm, was honored for his generosity, and that of the entire Hughes family, which has strengthened the Foundation's ability to fund the most promising research and push closer the day when spinal cord repair becomes a reality. Mr. Hughes is also involved with Independence Unlimited, an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities live as independently as they wish.

Dr. Albert J. Aguayo, Director of the Center for Research in Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal, and Dr. Lisa McKerracher, a professor at the Université de Montréal received the Christopher Reeve Research Medal for Spinal Cord Repair. The medal is awarded annually by the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California Irvine College of Medicine to individuals who have made recent critical contributions to promoting repair of the damaged spinal cord and recovery of function.

The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) was formed in 1999 as a result of the merger between the American Paralysis Association (APA) and the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF). CRPF, a national, nonprofit organization, will continue to support research to develop effective treatments and a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. Until those treatments and cures are found, CRPF will award quality of life grants to disability organizations.

For more information, or to contact Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, see their website at: www.christopherreeve.org