2013
03/18/2013 - The Perlman Music Program Cocktails, Dinner and a Chamber Music Concert in Palm Beach
03/15/2013 - Asia Week New York Kick-off Reception at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
03/12/2013 - Third Annual Fountain House Associates Spring Breakfast: “Between The Sheets”
03/05/2013 - NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER’S FACES GALA HONORING LEON CHARNEY RAISED $4.5 MILLION
02/23/2013 - "I Have A Voice" fundraiser for Gigi's PLAYHOUSE
02/23/2013 - Eleventh Annual “Thanksgiving in February” Feeds over 500 of New York’s Needy
02/21/2013 - The French Heritage Society's Annual Palm Beach Gala Dinner
02/21/2013 - 24th Annual Gala of Heart & Soul Charitable Fund Auction at Christie’s
02/21/2013 - Eva Longoria Hosts Benefit for “Food Chains” Documentary - Exposes Exploitation in Am’s Farm Labor
02/13/2013 - Verdura hosts a fundraiser for“The Michael Feinstein American Songbook Initiative”
02/13/2013 - Lost and Found: The Pinajian Discovery, a benefit preview for the Fund for Armenian Relief
02/08/2013 - 56th Annual Red Cross Ball in Palm Beach
02/07/2013 - Lost and Found: The Pinajian Discovery benefit preview for the Fund for Armenian Relief
02/06/2013 - All Star Orchestra’s Preview Screening of their New Classical Music and On-line Education Television
01/29/2013 - Urban Greenwalk
01/23/2013 - The Perlman Music Program Fourth Charity Wine Auction
01/20/2013 - Budapest Festival Orchestra
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Banking on a Cure New York Visionary Awards Dinner
01/19/2011 - By The Plaza, NYC

Banking on a Cure New York Visionary Awards Dinner

The Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org) honored Aryeh B. Bourkoff, Vice Chairman, Global Head of Telecom, Media, and Technology Investment Banking, UBS Investment Bank; and Stanley Chang, M.D., of Columbia University Medical Center

The event benefitted the Foundation Fighting Blindness, whose urgent mission is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.

“We’re thrilled to recognize two visionary leaders in the banking and retinal research fields with the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ signature award,” said Bill Schmidt, CEO, Foundation Fighting Blindness. “Their commitment to driving sight-saving research will help lead to brighter futures for the more than 10 million Americans affected by vision-robbing retinal diseases.”

Dinner co-chairs included Daniel G. Bergstein, Foundation Fighting Blindness Board Member who has three generations of family members affected by vision-robbing diseases, and Ehren Stenzler, Joint Deputy Head of US Mergers & Acquisitions and Head of Telecom, Media, and Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at UBS. The dinner’s trustee chair was Iris Spiegel, Foundation Fighting Blindness National Trustee, whose daughter Tali is affected with retinitis pigmentosa. Foundation-funded researchers in Israel have identified Tali’s mutated gene, which opens the door for potential gene therapy and other treatments. Tali, a longtime singer, and Justin Kauflin, a celebrated jazz pianist who also suffers from an eye disease, performed at the event. NBC News Correspondent Peter Alexander, whose sister is affected with Usher syndrome, served as emcee.

Since its inception in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness has raised over $400 million for retinal research. Most recently, the Foundation is funding gene therapy clinical trials treating patients affected with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa that causes blindness or substantial vision loss at birth. Results from the breakthrough study showed that gene therapy has restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind. The advancement paves the way for using gene therapy to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, suggesting a cure is in sight.

Photos: Kelly Sheehan Photography


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