38th Annual Dinner of Champions Raises $2.1 Million for MS Research & Programs

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, was honored at the 38th annual Dinner of Champions. The gala event took place on Monday, September 24, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The event raised $2.1 million that will support the National MS Societys vital programs and services to improve the quality of life for people with MS, as well as cutting-edge research for better treatments and a cure. Melissa Sherak Glasser, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1987 when she was only 15 years old, was presented with the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life award for educating, motivating and inspiring so many to live well and pay it forward.

Director Christopher Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, presented the award to Jeff Robinov in recognition of his and Warner Bros. continued support in helping the National MS Society move closer toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. Rock musician Chris Cornell and Carolina Liar performed at the dinner. Byron Allen was master of ceremonies for the 20th year and also served with Joe Roth and Tom Sherak as Dinner Chairs. Other special guests in attendance included Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, John Corbett, Ron Howard, Phil Keoghan, David Lander, Baz Luhrmann, Ron Perlman, Bill Pullman, Zack Snyder, D.B. Sweeney, Marlon Wayans and Congressman Henry Waxman.

Previous honorees have included such distinguished individuals as Sir Howard Stringer, Steven Hilton, Peter Chernin, Joe Roth, Amy Pascal, Jim Gianopulos, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Tom Rothman, Michael Lynton, Rob Moore, Rob Friedman and most recently Greg Dunn. Previous recipients of the Spirit of Life Award include Annette Funicello, Richard Pryor, Alan Osmond, David Lander, Michael Kamen and Teri Garr.

The Dinner of Champions is one of the most highly visible fundraising events in Los Angeles, one that has been overwhelmingly embraced by the entertainment industry. In the last twenty years, under the leadership of Sherak, the Dinner of Champions has raised $47 million. Each year, the dinner honors a philanthropist who has made a significant contribution to the movement to end MS. Because of fundraising events such as the Dinner of Champions, the National MS Society is able to support more research and offer more services for people with MS than any other MS organization in the world, including educational and wellness programs, professional counseling and support, financial assistance and more.

About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and over 2.1 million worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesnt. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2011 alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $164 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $40 million to support 325 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS now. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at nationalMSsociety.org.

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).

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38th Annual Dinner of Champions Raises $2.1 Million for MS Research & Programs