NEW YORK,
NY -
The stars came out for the
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s 19th
Annual A Magical Evening gala event
on Monday, November 9th at the
New York Marriott Marquis. This year’s
star-studded charity event honored the 1.275
million Americans in the US living with a
spinal cord injury – a number that
represents the results of a recently
published study sponsored by the Reeve
Foundation, which shows that 5.6 million
Americans are living with paralysis, 1.275
million of those as a result of spinal cord
injury.
Award
winning actor Richard Kind kicked off
the evening with a champagne toast, followed
by a moving speech from Christopher and Dana
Reeve’s only son, Will Reeve.
The highlight
of the evening was the unveiling of the
Reeve Foundation’s Life Rolls On Trike-bike-
the first
wheelchair accessible custom chopper built
by Orange County Choppers designed
specifically for a paraplegic motorcycle
rider. Head of Orange County Chopper and
star of the hit TLC show American Chopper,
Paul Teutul, Sr. presented the
Foundation with this one-of-a-kind chopper
which is completely controlled by hand
mechanisms and has handlebars that extend
back approximately 2.5 feet. There is an
automatic ramp that comes down at the push
of a button, the person then wheels up the
ramp and locks in – and is ready to ride.
Over 600
guests dressed in their best evening attire
danced to the music by the famed
Starlight Orchestra and were treated to
a special performance from the platinum
recording singer-songwriter Colbie
Caillat.
The evening’s celebration
committee members
Francine LeFrak & Rick Friedberg,
Eaddo & Peter Kiernan, Jack & Gail Hughes,
Henry G. Stifel III, Paul & Barbara Daversa,
and Francesco Clark were joined by
special guests including: Meryl Streep,
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Krakowski,
Matthew Reeve, Will Reeve, Alexandra Reeve
Givens, and Caroline Rhea. The
Mentalist’s Amanda Righetti,
Anthony Edwards, Susan Sarandon,
magician David Blaine, Victoria’s
Secret model Selita Ebanks,
style expert Mary Alice Stephenson,
Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Miss
Teen USA Stormi Henley, and Sandra
Lee, among others were on hand to
support this incredible Foundation in
raising $1 million, which will be used to
accomplish their mission of curing spinal
cord injury by funding innovative research,
and improving the quality of life for people
living with paralysis through grants,
information and advocacy.
For more information about
the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation,
please visit:
www.ChristopherReeve.org