Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fall Gala, 30 Oct 2010

[Bud]

@DianaKrall will perform at the MMRF Fall Gala & will be joined by the legendary Paul Simon! www.benefitoffice.org/mmrf

via a tweet from @theMMRF

[Bud]

More info. Michelle will be honored too!

Paul Simon, Diana Krall to perform at MMRF fundraiser

http://blogs.thehour.com/newshound/?p=3058

NORWALK — The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced that it will honor famed pianist and vocalist Diana Krall and her sister, Michelle Wigmore, with the Spirit of Hope Award at the 14th annual MMRF Fall Gala, scheduled to be held October 30, 2010, in Greenwich.
Krall, a member of the MMRF’s Honorary Board of Directors, will also provide a performance as the event’s featured artist. Legendary singer and songwriter Paul Simon will also perform as the MMRF’s special guest.
“It is an honor for my sister, Michelle, and I to be recognized by the MMRF – an organization that has helped so many families like ours who have been touched by this terrible disease,” said Krall, whose mother died of multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, in 2002. “It is our hope that, by continuing to raise awareness and research funds through events like this, we can play a role in helping the MMRF bring patients treatments that will extend their lives and give them more precious times with their families.”
Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and New York Times best-selling author Deborah Norville will join the evening’s celebrity line-up by serving as Mistress of Ceremonies. It is Norville’s ninth year in this special role.
“We are overjoyed that Diana Krall, Paul Simon and Deborah Norville have all come together in honor of the multiple myeloma patients and families courageously fighting this devastating disease and who stand by our side in supporting our urgent work to bring patients the treatments they need,” said Kathy Giusti, Founder and CEO of the MMRF and a myeloma patient.
David Epstein, Head of the Novartis Pharmaceuticals division, will serve as the event’s Corporate Chair and will be honored with the Corporate Leadership Award in recognition of the Novartis’ commitment to developing innovative new treatments for multiple myeloma and other orphan cancers. In addition, Michael Reinert, Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Universal Music Group, will be honored with the Courage and Commitment Award. Reinert, a multiple myeloma patient, recently wrote and starred in his first play “So Tell Me, What Can I Do”.
The MMRF Fall Gala is the largest and most prominent fundraising event in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. All funds raised will support the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma. To purchase tickets to the MMRF Fall Gala, donate an auction item or join a committee, email mmrf@benefitoffice.org or call 888-584-5463.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a nonprofit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy’s diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure.

Article printed from The Hour's News Hound: http://blogs.thehour.com/newshound

URL to article: http://blogs.thehour.com/newshound/?p=3058

[Bud]

Is it just me, or does Deborah Norville vaguely resemble someone we know?

[Coda]

Yes, a certain resemblance!

[Bud]

Tonight's the big night. Congratulations to Diana and Michelle!

http://www.thehour.com/story/493598

[scielle]

Paul Simon, Diana Krall perform at MMRF fundraising gala
Debra Friedman, Staff Writer

Thousands of bright-colored gowns and neatly pressed tuxedos filled the Hyatt Regency Greenwich Saturday night as people from around the region came out to support an important cause at the 14th annual Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's fall gala.

The event, said to be the largest and most prominent fundraising event in Fairfield County, also brought out legendary singer and New Canaan resident Paul Simon and famed pianist and vocalist Diana Krall.

Krall, along with her sister, Michelle Krall Wigmore, were honored with the organization's "Spirit of Hope Award" for their work in raising awareness about the incurable blood cancer, which has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. In 2010, more than 20,000 adults in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease and nearly 11,000 people are predicted to die from it, according to the foundation.

The cause is particularly near to the sisters' hearts because they lost their mother to the disease in 2002.

"This honors my mom," Krall said, describing how they participate in similar events in Canada and around the country during the year. "We are happy to do it because we can relate to it so well. It is really lovely."

Kathy Giusti, chief executive and co-founder of the foundation, knew Krall's mother and said it was "heartwarming" to see Diana again. Giusti also has a personal connection to Paul Simon. Her husband and the singer coach their sons' baseball team in New Canaan.

"(The Simons) do have some friends that suffer from the disease, so (Simon) was happy to get involved," Giusti said.

Seeing the nearly 1,200 people who turned out Saturday made Giusti feel that the foundation's mission was working.

"I think it is a reflection of how (people) are appreciative of the results we are able to show," Giusti said, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma more than a decade ago.

The gala began around 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction and transitioned to a dinner inside a tented area before Krall and Simon performed. It was the first time Krall and Simon had performed together, something Krall said would have wowed her mother.

"I grew up learning all the songs and my parents loved him and the spirit of that music," Krall said.

Simon, who showed up later than expected Saturday, was scheduled to perform before Krall. The two were then going to come together for a duet to close the performance.

Krall said every song she was planning to sing had a emotional connection to the cause because they were all songs that her mother loved.

"I am really spontaneous, so some things may come to me that I don't even really expect," Krall said.

Those in attendance said they were excited for the performances and happy to support research to help find a cure for the disease.

"We have some friends with multiple myeloma," said Stephan Zeppelin, of Cos Cob, explaining what brought him to the gala. "I think this is great. It is the pre-eminent event in Greenwich."

Danielle Triplett and Jessica Cestone, both members of the American Association for Cancer Research, came up from Philadelphia to attend the event. "I think this is wonderful," Triplett said. "Kathy and the MMRF have just done an absolutely marvelous thing for multiple myeloma and we wouldn't miss it."

The event was also attended by Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Deborah Norville, who served as the mistress of ceremonies. It was her ninth year in this role, according to organizers.

The foundation was established in 1998 and has raised over $140 million since its inception to fund nearly 120 laboratories worldwide, according to organizers.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Paul-Simon-Diana-Krall-perform-at-MMRF-760926.php?

[scielle]

Here's a video of Paul Simon and Diana from this past Sat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4nz_M_Z-R4

[scielle]

LOTS more photos of the Krall ladies here at the link below, including many of Michelle. Diana's hand is all bandaged-up; looks like she's got a carpal tunnel issue again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmrf/sets/72157625305195032/ (There are about 10 pages of photos from the gala)

[Bud]

Thanks for these pics, scielle! I hope whatever issue she has heals up soon!

[scielle]

Here's Diana and Paul Simon performing Peace Like a River:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHivP-Z4_NU

[scielle]

A video of Michele introducing Diana. Nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZXDfvfB6Ak

[Bud]

Thanks for finding this, scielle.

I believe it's the first time I've actually heard Michelle's voice

[Coda]

Ditto! You can tell that these sisters love each other.
By the way, I love Diana's different take on "I Love Being Here with You."

[Bud]

MMRF CEO Kathy Giusti Named One of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential!

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packa ... 21,00.html

[Bud]

Kathy Giusti is featured in June's Harvard Business Review

http://www.themmrf.org/hbr-the-social-reluctant.pdf

[Bud]

Healthcare Entrepreneur Kathy Giusti Addresses MBA Class of 2011

http://www.hbs.edu/news/releases/classd ... i2011.html