It truly was a magical night this past Friday, April 15th as Nancy Davis, Founder of Race to Erase MS awarded our Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer Carolyn Rafaelian with the Race to Erase MS Medal of Honor. The 23rd Annual Race to Erase MS Gala was a star-studded event with attendees like Naya Rivera, Randy Jackson, Kat Graham, Larry King, and more coming out to show their support for a great cause.
The event raised $1.6 million for Race to Erase MS, which funds the most cutting edge research toward finding a cure for this debilitating disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of message retrieval within the brain. Before presenting Carolyn with the Medal of Honor, Nancy explained that the funds raised through the ALEX AND ANI | CHARITY BY DESIGN® Cupcake Charm Bangle (designed in 2012 exclusively for Race to Erase MS) have been an instrumental factor in accelerating finding a cure for MS. To date, over $900,000 in funds have been raised through ALEX AND ANI | CHARITY BY DESIGN® to support the organization.
Other highlights from the event included a live auction and performances from KISS, Jordan Smith, and Eric Benet, who gave a moving tribute to Natalie Cole with his own rendition of the late songstress’ classic, “Unforgettable.”
Catch Carolyn’s touching acceptance speech and other moments from the night in the video below.