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Los Angeles – (Oct. 14, 2015) – The Cedars-Sinai Board of
Governors hosted its 2015 Annual Gala Oct. 13, 2015 at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills. More than 1,000 guests
at the sold-out event honored Thomas D. Gordon, retiring CEO
of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network Services. Event Co-Chairs
were Paul Guerin and John Bendheim.
Two-time Emmy winner and recent recipient of the Mark Twain
Prize for American Humor, Jay Leno, served as emcee and
provided the evening’s non-stop laughs. “In the last decade
alone,” said Leno, “the Board of Governors has committed
$100 million to fund lifesaving research. $100 million or,
as Trump calls it, ‘lunch money’.”
Leno went on to describe the groundbreaking achievements of
the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine
Institute (RMI). “Too many lives are touched by
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, stroke, brain cancer and
lung cancer… just to name a very few of the debilitating
diseases in desperate need of research.”
Evening Co-Chair John Bendheim and Vera Guerin, Chair, Board
of Directors, recognized the advancements of Cedars-Sinai
scientists in pioneering life-changing stem cell research.
Guerin shared that the evening’s gala had raised more than
$1.3 million. He also noted that in total, almost $15
million had been raised by the Board of Governors in the
first year and a half of their Regenerative Medicine
Institute Campaign. He predicted, “We will make our goal of
$30 million over the next five years!”
Bendheim singled out the generosity of Lexus in providing a
2016 Lexus LX570 for the event’s auction. This marks the 11th
consecutive year of Lexus’ participation. Michael Rouse,
Vice President of Diversity, Philanthropy and Community
Affairs for Toyota, spoke briefly of the importance of the
partnership between Lexus and the Cedars-Sinai Board of
Governors.
Chair of the Board of Governors Ruth Dunn welcomed guests
and paid special recognition to Dr. Clive Svendsen, PhD,
Director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute, for his
“leadership, vision and partnership.”
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the
Board of Governors 2015 Humanitarian Award to Tom Gordon,
presented by Tom Priselac, President and CEO, Cedars-Sinai
Health System. Gordon was honored for his more than 21 years
of contributions to the Cedars-Sinai family.
Following dinner, Leno returned to the stage to auction off
three exclusive prize packages, including a Crystal Cruise
from Istanbul to Rome; VIP tickets to the NARAS Music Cares
Tribute to Lionel Richie and tickets to the Golden
Globes; and an exclusive tour of Leno’s private garage.
Tony-and-Emmy-winning Kristin Chenoweth dazzled the crowd
with her renditions “Over the Rainbow,” “I Could Have Danced
All Night,” “Moon River” and “Popular,” one of the songs she
first performed on Broadway in her Tony-winning role in
Wicked.
About the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors
Established in 1971, the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors is
a diverse community of donors and leaders committed to
supporting the medical center by providing financial
resources, educational experiences for its members and
volunteer opportunities. For more information on how to
get involved with the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors,
please call (310) 423-7471. |