Sunday, October 17, 2010

The launch of The Dawson Schleroerma Foundation at Carlton Hotel on October 6, 2010 in New York City. FASHION FOR A CAUSE

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 06: FASHION FOR A CAUSE

The launch of The Dawson Schleroerma Foundation at Carlton Hotel on October 6, 2010 in New York City. (Photos by Anna Kuchma)

Swizz Beatz and Courtney Dawson by Anna Kuchma

The Dawson Scleroderma Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life, health and socioeconomic impact of Scleroderma for patients through personal enrichment, empowerment, and support. We strive to increase awareness and understanding of this life threatening degenerative disease and to raise funding for research that can help provide early detection of Scleroderma and eventually a cure.

Model Jaslene Gonzalez with David Meister

At the event, red carpet designer David Meister will preview his spring collection with a celebrity filled runway show styled by Lauren Rae Levy, beautiful and brilliant celebrity fashion stylist. Runway garment alterations for the show by Madame Paulette. Ramona Singer will showcase her new line of jewelry while the event is filmed for the Housewives of New York City. Guests will enjoy a silent auction featuring some one-of-a kind items donated by designers such as Alexander McQueen. Both the runway show and the following musical performance by Interscope Record’s hottest new artist, Jared Evan, will run on a live feed outside on the Carlton Hotel building facade. Good Morning America is set to feature the event the morning of and fingers are crossed that Jared Evan will preview his performance.

Scleroderma is a debilitating and too often fatal auto-immune disease that affects 300,000 people across our country. Scleroderma itself means "hard skin". The hardness is caused by increased production of collagen and other proteins that cause skin thickening and replaces normal skin structure with scar tissue. Scleroderma can be a devastating disease and the same thickening process may occur in the blood vessels, the lungs, the kidneys, the intestinal tract and other key organs.

Research over the last two decades has lead to improved treatment for scleroderma and has improved both survival and function for individuals with this disease. While this improvement is welcome, the fact is there is no cure and that individuals continue to be disabled and die from the disease. Those with widespread skin and organ involvement have a negative prognosis with life expectancy 5-10 years after diagnosis.

ABOUT COURTNEY DAWSON


COURTNEY DAWSON

Establishing The Dawson Scleroderma Foundation has become my own therapy. My hope is to be able to help others who have the same disease; to take a devastating, life changing event and turn it into something positive. Scleroderma can cause you to feel completely isolated from the rest of the world. It is a struggle to cope with every day because it can be extremely painful, both physically and mentally. There is no cure for Scleroderma. The medicines that are prescribed are simply used to treat the symptoms and improve the individual’s quality of life.

Living with Scleroderma is a fight that has no ending. I have always been a competitor, having played sports in high school and college, so I love to fight…win or lose. But it doesn’t work like that with this disease. I can’t psyche myself up by saying “Ok, I am going to fight this disease, win or lose”. Scleroderma doesn’t allow you to win, then share the victory with your loved ones and continue on with your life. The only thing you can do is build a solid platform to stand on and prepare to fight for the rest of your life. It is a battle without an end.

There has been a positive side, however, to facing life with this disease. I can honestly say that I have lived more of my life in the last 3 years than all the previous 30 combined. I am so thankful for the circumstances that surround my life now and I truly feel ALIVE…really, really alive.

Now I hope to give that peace and serenity to others suffering from this disease. I want to empower them with the tools to fight this fight and to cope with this disease the best way possible, -to bring joy back into their lives. This, in turn, will do the same for me.

Slide show photos from the rest of the night
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Thursday, October 7, 2010

The 25th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on September 27th, 2010

Taneish Simpson and Michael Irvin

Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras and Delfina Blaquier

Steve Holcomb

Russell Simmons

Nick Buoniconti and Bill Russell

Here are all the pictures from the Red Carpet taken by Anna Kuchma

25TH ANNUAL GREAT SPORTS LEGENDS DINNER PRESENTED BY STEWART RAHR RAISES MORE THAN $17 MILLION

President Bill Clinton, Willie Mays, Bill Russell, Tom Brokaw, Dan Marino, Christine Lynn, Stewart Rahr, Barbara and Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Michael Irvin, Brian Leetch, Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, Laird Hamilton, Bob Costas, Gloria Estefan and Russell Simmons

Evening Included Performances by Donna Summer and The Pointer Sisters

Bill Clinton and Marc Buoniconti

NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son Marc hosted an impressive crowd of more than 1,400 guests for the 25th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, at the Waldorf=Astoria to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. Event Presenting Sponsor Stewart Rahr addressed the crowd and most generously donated $2 million for the event as well as underwrote Marc Buoniconti’s new book, Paralyzed set to launch in 2011. Christine E. Lynn received the 2010 Outstanding Philanthropist Award and wowed the audience by donating $10 million to fund the Schwann and Stem Cell Human Clinical Trials Initiatives.

Former President Bill Clinton surprised the sold out affair by walking on stage to congratulate Nick and Marc in their mission as well as recognize his friend Rahr. The silver anniversary celebration raised more than $17 million and guests included sports legends, celebrities, philanthropic heroes and corporate leaders who all gathered to support paralysis and spinal cord injury research.

The 2010 Great Sports Legends Willie Mays, Bill Russell, Michael Irvin, Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, Annika Sorenstam, Brian Leetch, Laird Hamilton and Calvin Borel each were introduced by spectacular career highlight reels produced by HBO Sports before they accepted their Tiffany & Co. awards on stage by sports broadcaster and the evening’s Master of Ceremonies Bob Costas. Costas welcomed devoted benefactors Barbara and Jack Nicklaus to the stage to receive the 2010 Inspiration Award, NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino to receive the 2010 Buoniconti Fund Award and longtime Buoniconti Fund supporter Tom Brokaw received the 2010 American Icon Award.

“To be surrounded by this much compassion and support for a cause that is so meaningful to me and my family, is truly overwhelming. For twenty five years, our researchers have made discoveries and strides, and now, we are happy to move that work into humans with our upcoming clinical trials. Our researchers are changing the way the medical profession looks at and treats paralysis,” said Nick Buoniconti, Founder of The Buoniconti Fund.

Notables in attendance included Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Donald Trump, Olympian Skater Dorothy Hamill, NFL NY Giants Hall of Famer Harry Carson, CBS Sportscaster Lesley Visser, Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 10 x Olympic Medalist in Swimming Gary Hall, Jr, 1968 Olympic Long Jump Medalist Bob Beamon, MLB Great Scott Erickson, Former Miami Dolphin Earl Morrall, actress and model Christie Brinkley, Former Miami Dolphin Nat Moore, Super Bowl MVP with the Redskins Mark Rypien, Former MLB Player with the Mets and Yankees Phil Linz, Former Miami Dolphin Super Bowl Champion Dick Anderson, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, Jockey legend Jerry Bailey, 10 x Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis, Olympic Bobsledding Gold Medalist Steve Holcomb, famous pop artist Romero Britto and Friday Night Lights star Brad Leland…and so many others.

The VIP reception was sponsored by Carnival Corporation & plc. and the Vehicle Production Group, responsible for the MV-1, the first vehicle designed specifically for wheelchair accessibility. Supporting sponsors for the evening included Continental Airlines, Tiffany & Co., and Philip Knight of Nike.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Join Martha Stewart for a Champagne Cocktail Party at the Bronx Botanical Garden on September 21st, 2010

Join Martha Stewart for a Champagne Cocktail Party

Martha Stewart by Anna Kuchma

Martha Stewart’s Champagne Cocktail Party

From 5:30 to 7 p.m., visitors can enjoy a champagne cocktail and herbal appetizer as they mingle with Garden Curators in the Martha Stewart Culinary Herb Garden, part of The Edible Garden. At 7 p.m., Martha Stewart takes the stage at the Conservatory Kitchen where she will share her secrets for growing and using herbs in delicious end-of-summer cocktails.

The Edible Garden, an exhibition at The New York Botanical Garden that celebrates growing and preparing good food, spotlights locally grown, seasonal food with cooking demonstrations every day and hands-on vegetable gardening for the entire family. Featuring four spectacular kitchen gardens, The Edible Garden, which runs through October 17, teaches visitors how to grow the best food at home. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Education program. For more information, call 718.817.8700 or visit www.nybg.org.

Martha Stewart, who brought her distinctive design aesthetic to the Botanical Garden’s historic Luce Herb Garden, redesigning it to display a rich selection of culinary herbs, will talk about how herbs can add a delightful kick to seasonal beverages. Martha Stewart’s expansive multimedia portfolio includes her award-winning magazines Martha Stewart Living, Whole Living, Everyday Food, and Martha Stewart Weddings; the Emmy Award-winning daily television series, “The Martha Stewart Show,” and other original programming on Hallmark Channel, including “Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn” and “Whatever with Alexis & Jennifer”; Martha Stewart Living Radio on SIRIUS channel 112 and XM Radio channel 157; marthastewart.com, wholeliving.com, and marthastewartweddings.com; and her best-selling books. In addition to its media properties, MSLO offers high-quality Martha Stewart products through licensing agreements with carefully selected companies, including the Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's that offers an array of culinary tools that can be used to prepare herbs for cooking; the Martha Stewart Living line of home-improvement products at The Home Depot; Martha Stewart Crafts with EK Success at Michaels and independent retailers; the Martha Stewart Pets line at PetSmart and more.

WHERE:
The New York Botanical Garden

The weather was spectacular but a bit chilly towards the evening's end. A lot of people gathered in the garden to admire and inspect various herbs grown by Martha Stewart and other Chefs, the scenery and the aroma in the air was intoxicating. Lots of smiles and champagne flowing and then there was the line to the tent where everyone was eager to see Martha Stewart's presentation.

It was great: she cooked and implemented part of the edible garden herbs in the recipes and shared them with the expert panel. Later on the audience had the main stage with Q and A with Martha Stewart. It was a lovely evening of champagne and cooking.