D.R.E.a.M.S. in the city: This was the 5th Annual Benefit which was focused on the incredible work that Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) has been doing in order to find cure to this disease that has touched so many lives. People like you and i who care make this possible, because with each day the doctors at the DRI are getting that much closer to the cure.
Diabetes might not have touched you personally but if you think then you will definitely know either someone who has it or had it and is no longer with us. Some forms of Diabetes are very aggressive and the cure is not as a effective as one wants it to be, thus the people who are effected by it are suffering from it. I understand that it is easy to look the other way sometimes especially if this disease has not had much difference in your life or the lives of your close ones but one should always be aware that there are many people who are suffering from it and are very much effected by it and they have no choice but to fight for their lives.
Be aware and spread the word out, help if you can those who are trying to find the cure, volunteer or at least know where to refer someone if anyone asks where they can get help. Know Diabetes Research Institute and their website: www.drif.org
Silent Auction was Held to raise necessary funds to further the research to FIND the CURE: Pictures

This year the Honorees and Recipients of the Dare to Dream Award of the evening were Bob DeRoose and Michel Nischan with Alan Kalter being the Master of Ceremonies.
Bob DeRoose - President and CEO, Kobrand Corporation http://www.kobrandwineandspirits.com/
Bob DeRoose assumed the Presidency and C.E.O. position on January 1st, 2010 after a storied track record of over 27 years with Kobrand. Bob was hired in 1983 fresh out of graduate school to assume street sales responsibilities in Chicago (his home town). Bob is a graduate of DePaul University where he double-majored in Finance and Marketing and stayed on to work his way through the DePaul MBA
program. Having secured street sales experience and an understanding of Kobrand’s sales systems, Bob moved to Phoenix in 1985 to assume sales management responsibilities for Arizona and Nevada. In 1987, Bob was promoted to the position of Pacific Division Manager, managing eight Northwest states and Northern California (based out of San Francisco). In 1990, Bob returned “home” to Chicago to oversee the Central Group, the second largest sales territory at Kobrand. In 1996, Bob was promoted to Assistant to the President, a role in which he was tasked with designing and driving the construction of the Kobrand sales and technology systems as well as overseeing all administration functions.
In 2003, Bob assumed the additional responsibilities of National Sales Manager and in 2006 those responsibilities were expanded to include
export / global sales, at which time he became Kobrand’s Chief Operating Officer, Director of Corporate Sales.
Bob lives in Weston, CT with his wife Susan and when not working can be found salt water fishing on the flats of Key West, FL.

Michel Nischan- http://michelnischan.com/

Chef Michel Nischan wears many hats- from dynamic restaurant owner, award-winning cookbook author and media personality- to food policy advocate and non-profit foundation CEO. A proponent of sustainable farming, local and regional food systems and heritage recipes, Michel has long been a leader in the movement to honor local, pure, simple and delicious cooking. He is owner and founder of Dressing Room, his homegrown restaurant in Westport CT, and CEO and President of the Wholesome Wave Foundation, dedicated to nourishing neighborhoods by supporting increased production and access to healthy, fresh and affordable locally grown food for the well-being of all.

Michel’s “cuisine of well-being”, which was first served at Heartbeat Restaurant at the W Hotel in Manhattan.

His recipes and philosophies may be explored in his award-winning cookbooks - Taste Pure & Simple (James Beard Award 2004) and Homegrown Pure & Simple. The publication date for Sustainably Delicious: Making the World a Better Place, One Recipe at a Time is April 13, 2010.

Watch Michel on CPTV's show "All Things Connecticut" talking about "Making Your Passion Your Living."

It is now the Wholesome Wave Foundation that seeks to make life healthier, tastier, more meaningful and accessible to all through its “Nourishing Neighborhoods” campaign.

Q&A with World Renowned Chef Michel Nischan

http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=104065

Michel Nischan, renowned chef, best-selling author, and winner of the 2004 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award, is credited with creating a cuisine of well-being. He focuses on pure ingredients and allows their natural flavors to dominate his dishes. Chef Nischan offered to share his personal relationship to type 1 diabetes (juvenile diabetes) and provides nutrition and cooking tips for people with type 1 diabetes.

JDRF: How did you react to learning that your son had type 1 diabetes?

Michel Nischan: It was different with each son. Chris, who is now 15, was diagnosed at age 5. Both Lori and I were stunned, saddened, and angry. First we thought, "Why Chris? Why should this beautiful young boy have to go through something like this?" Then we realized we had to mobilize as a family. We decided that whatever changes in diet had to be made, the whole family would make together. When Ethan was diagnosed two years ago at age 2, we thought, "Enough already!" Interestingly, our shock was very short lived and quickly replaced with the realization that it was better us than someone else because we were equipped to deal with it. We also view it as a reaffirmation of my quest toward cooking for well-being. To read the rest of the interview click on the link below Q &A.
Michel Nischan & His family and friends at the Gala

Michel Nischan & Gary Kleiman by Anna Kuchma

D.R.E.a.M.S. 2010 Chairs : Bonnie Inserra & Samantha Shanken Baker By Anna Kuchma

Bonnie Inserra &; Lindsey Inserra (Mother - Chair, Daughter - Young Professional Chairs)

Inserra Relatives

Jean Shafiroff & Dawne Marie Grannum by Anna Kuchma

EMCEE - ALAN KALTER -

Alan Kalter, for the last 15 years, has been Dave’s “announcer” on “Late Show with David Letterman”, known on-camera as "Big Red”. His comedic sketches include “The Kalter Twins”, “Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview”, “Where Are They Now?”, “For the Ladies”, “You’re Busted” and “Alan Makes Your Product Sound Sexy”. He's been seen wearing an Elvis-style sequined jumpsuit, Olympic Ice Skater tights or almost After a decade of radio at WTFM and WHN in NYC, Alan was the voice ofUSA Network throughout the ‘80s, the announcer for a number of New York- based TV gameshows, “ABC’s College Football”, “Wide World of Sports” and “20/20” and continues to do voiceovers for radio and television commercials. He was the Principal on the TV show “Ed”, and you’ve seen him selling cars, advocating colonoscopies and tossing melons for a series of TV spots for Kalter hails from Brooklyn, was raised on Long Island, calls Connecticut home, and spends most of his off-hours playing golf or babysitting the grandkids with his love, wife and guardian, Peggy.

Gary Kleiman and Chris Canty by Anna Kuchma GARY KLEIMAN - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of MEDICAL DEVELOPEMENT at the University of Miami's Diabetes Research Institute Gary Kleiman, born in New York in 1953, has been an advocate for research toward a cure for diabetes for more than three decades. Now, Executive Director of Medical Development at the University of Miami’s Diabetes Research Institute, Kleiman has testified before the House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Health and at the Capitol Summit for Diabetes Research about the need for increased diabetes research funding. He has written and been featured in magazines and newspaper articles and has made numerous appearances on local and national radio and television talk and news shows to discuss the impact of diabetes and research progress. Kleiman’s autobiography No Time To Lose (1983, William Morrow & Co., Inc.) is an account of his extraordinary life and achievements while coping with some of diabetes’ most severe complications. In 2006, he was featured in Cheating Destiny Living With Diabetes, America’s Biggest Epidemic (Houghton Mifflin Company) by James S. Hirsch. Diagnosed with the disease at age six, he developed diabetic retinopathy by age 18 and was among the first to be treated with argon laser which has become the standard treatment for this eye disease. Later, at age 28, he required a kidney transplant and again, he was among the first to use a new immune suppressive drug, cyclosporine, to prevent rejection of his mother’s kidney. In 2001 a second transplant was needed. His brother, Glenn, donated one of his kidneys. On November 1, 2002, Kleiman received an infusion of insulin-producing islets which for the first time since 1960 freed him of insulin injections for two years and then only required minimal amounts of insulin to control his blood sugars. Although diabetes complications prevented his graduation, Kleiman attended Syracuse University as an art major, and played varsity tennis. He went on to become a recognized and accomplished sculptor with numerous commissioned works to his credit, including The International Pisart Vision Award sponsored by the Lighthouse for the Blind in New York. In 1972, diabetes complications led Kleiman’s parents to what was then a small but highly reputable diabetes program at the University of Miami. The Kleimans went on to become one of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation’s founding families and remain vocal in their support of the Institute. In 1978, Gary himself began working for the Diabetes Research Institute as a youth counselor and diabetes camp coordinator. He went on to serve on the Board of Trustees of Eagle’s Nest Camp for Children with Diabetes in North Carolina. Later, Kleiman coordinated flights for donor organ procurement and served as managing editor for Pathways, a diabetes research magazine for lay readers. Kleiman worked closely with the leadership of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO as they financed and built the state-of-the-art building which today houses the Diabetes Research Institute. The internationally recognized institution, located at the University Of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was completed and inaugurated in 1994. Today, Kleiman helps lead the institute’s fundraising and public affairs activities. He lives in Miami and has two sons, Ben and Daniel. Although diabetes complications prevented his graduation, Kleiman attended Syracuse University as an art major, and played varsity tennis. He went on to become a recognized and accomplished sculptor with numerous commissioned works to his credit, including The International Pisart Vision Award sponsored by the Lighthouse for the Blind in New York. In 1972, diabetes complications led Kleiman's parents to what was then a small but highly reputable diabetes program at the University of Miami. The KleimanÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s went on to become one of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation's founding families and remain vocal in their support of the Institute. In 1978, Gary himself began working for the Diabetes Research Institute as a youth counselor and diabetes camp coordinator. He went on to serve on the Board of Trustees of Eagle's Nest Camp for Children with Diabetes in North Carolina. Later, Kleiman coordinated flights for donor organ procurement and served as managing editor for Pathways, a diabetes research magazine for lay readers. Kleiman worked closely with the leadership of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO as they financed and built the state-of-the-art building which today houses the Diabetes Research Institute. The internationally recognized institution, located at the University of Miami School of Medicine, was completed and inaugurated in 1994. Today, Kleiman helps lead the institute's national fundraising and public affairs activities. He lives in Miami with his wife, Chris and two young sons, Ben and Daniel.

Camillo Ricordi, M.D.

After medical school (University of Milan, Italy) Camillo Ricordi, M.D., received an NIH Research Trainee Award at Washington University in St. Louis (1986-1988), and spent four years (1989-1993) as Director of Cellular Transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute.
Since 1993, he has been at the University of Miami, where he holds the Stacy Joy Goodman Chair. He serves as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Professor of Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Ricordi is also Chief of the Division of Cellular Transplantation, Department of Surgery and the Scientific Director and Chief Academic Officer of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Acknowledged by his peers as one of the world's leading scientists in cell transplantation, Dr. Ricordi is well-known for developing the Automated Method for Islet Isolation (the "Ricordi Chamber"). The procedure made it possible to isolate large numbers of pancreatic islets and is now used by laboratories performing clinical islet transplants worldwide.
Dr. Ricordi led the team that performed the first series of successful clinical islet allografts in 1990 and performed the first clinical trials of islet-donor bone marrow cell infusions and more recently islet-donor CD34+ cell infusions with the objective to treat patients with Type 1 diabetes without the continuous requirement for anti-rejection drugs. His research objective is to develop a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
Dr. Ricordi was founder and president of the Cell Transplant Society (1992-94), co-founder of the National Diabetes Research Coalition (Chairman 1997) and president of the International Association for Pancreas and Islet Transplantation (1999-2001; IPITA).
Currently a member of the council of the International Transplantation Society, he also served on the council of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (2000-2002), on the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NIAID) Expert Panel on clinical approaches for tolerance induction, and on the FDA Biologic Response Modifiers Advisory Committee. Dr. Ricordi is also serving on the NIH/NCRR Islet Cell Resources (ICRs) Executive Committee, as Chairperson of the Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium (NIDDK-NIAID) and as President of the Board of the Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Therapies (ISMETT, Palermo, Italy).
Dr. Ricordi has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2001 Nessim Habif World Prize of Surgery (University of Geneva) for developing a machine and a technology that significantly contributed to the advancement of a surgical field. He was also awarded the 2002 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award and delivered the Lilly Lecture at the 2002 Congress of the American Diabetes Association.
He has been serving on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Cell Transplantation (Editor-in-Chief), American Journal of Transplantation (Associate Editor), Transplantation, Transplantation Proceedings, and Tissue Engineering. Dr. Ricordi has authored more than 500 scientific publications. As inventor, he was awarded nine patents.
Website: http://www.diabetesresearch.org/Page.aspx?pid=229

Camillo Ricordi, M.D., born on April 1, 1957, concluded his graduate/post-graduate studies and his surgical residency with the highest scores and honors. Dr. Ricordi is the Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery and Medicine and Chief of the Division of Cellular Transplantation, at the University of Miami School of Medicine. In September 1996, he assumed the position of Scientific Director and Chief Academic Officer of the Diabetes Research Institute.
Prior to joining the DRI, Dr. Ricordi served as Attending Surgeon at the San Raffaele Institute, University of Milan School of Medicine (1988-1989). He then spent four years as Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Cellular Transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute (1989-1993).
Dr. Ricordi is well-known for inventing the machine that made it possible to isolate large numbers of islet cells from the human pancreas. The procedure is now used by laboratories performing clinical islet transplants. Acknowledged by his peers as one of the world's leading scientists in islet transplantation, Dr. Ricordi has trained the majority of islet cell transplant researchers worldwide and has developed highly innovative strategies in an attempt to transplant islets without the continuous requirement for immunosuppressive drugs.
Dr. Ricordi is founder and past president of the Cell Transplant Society, co-founder and steering committee member of the International Association for Pancreas and Islet Transplantation (IPITA), and co-founder of the National Diabetes Research Coalition. Dr. Ricordi is also an active member of The Transplantation Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Federation of Clinical Research, and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. Additionally, Dr. Ricordi has been a reviewer of application grants for a number of organizations, including the European Economic Community, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Diabetes Association, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Website:http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/dteam/d_0d_00h.htm

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