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CRYSTAL BALL
May 3, 2008
Honorees Michael and Jodi Genatt
(left) pose with their son, Zach,
and their parents, Judy and Les
Genatt, Gillin Family Humanitarian
Award Recipients.
 
Jodi and Michael Genatt take a minute to
admire the glamorous decor. |
Gala Chairman Charles Rizzo
on the dance floor with his wife, Marie. |
At Long Island’s premier event, the Crystal Ball, an intimate and inviting supper club setting delighted more than 400 guests who gathered at the Garden City Hotel for a fabulous evening of cocktails, fine dining, great music and dancing. According to Gala Chairman Charles Rizzo, the elegant affair, held on May 3, raised approximately $780,000 for the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI).
The tremendous success of the event can be attributed in part to the dedicated support of the evening’s honorees, Jodi and Michael Genatt, and the recipients of the Gillin Family Humanitarian Award, Michael’s parents, Judy and Les Genatt. The family has taken on the search for a cure as a personal mission ever since Jodi and Michael’s 15-year-old son, Zach, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five years ago.
“Diabetes affects the entire family. It changes your whole life,” said Jodi and personally thanked everyone in the room for their attendance and support. Funds raised that evening benefit an organization the Genatt family has come to know as the best hope for a cure for Zach and for all people living with diabetes.
“It’s going to take a facility like the Diabetes Research Institute down in Miami to find a cure for this disease. With the money we raise here tonight, we will find a cure,” added Michael.
During the dinner program, which was led by WCBS-TV’s Dr. Max Gomez, DRI’s Associate Director Dr. Norma Sue Kenyon explained how the Institute is harnessing the power of emerging technologies to develop new cell-based therapies to restore insulin production. She further connected with the crowd by discussing her personal sense of urgency as a scientist and a mother of a teenager with type 1 diabetes.
Touched by her words, the audience responded with generous gifts during the Fund-A-Grant portion of the program, including significant contributions from the Future Leadership Foundation, Roberta and Bruce Waller and Family, Martin Granowitz, the Genatt Family and Gennatt Associates, Inc., and Joan and William Fishlinger. Highlights of the live auction, which was led by DRI Foundation Long Island Chairman Allan L. Pashcow, included a golfing extravaganza at six of the most exclusive clubs in New York, plus a French fete during Paris Fashion Week, featuring three fashion shows, a shopping spree at Georgina and more.
Other top sponsors included Wright Risk Management; Congdon, Flaherty, O’Callaghan, Reid, Donlon, Travis & Fishlinger; The Weitz Family Charitable Foundation/Weitz & Luxenberg Law Offices; ACE INA Foundation; AIG Insurance Companies; Kenneth and Jane Hirsch and the Seaman Family Foundation; and Rooms to Go Children’s Fund. Lawrence Scott Events produced and underwrote the event’s design and décor, and thanks to the Kossoy, Auerbach and Landow families, guests went home with a variety of goodies such as beautiful pashminas, limited edition frosted glass water bottles handcrafted with Swarovski Crystals and Crystal Ball tote bags.
Roberta & Bruce Waller are all
smiles for a family photo.
For more information, please contact the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation:
410 Jericho Turnpike
Suite 201
Jericho, NY 11753
Phone 516.822.1700
Fax 516.822.3570
E-mail LIRegion@drif.org
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