NEW YORK CITY—(September 5, 2018)—The inaugural Funding Futures New York Gala is set to take place on Thursday, September 20 at City Winery in New York City. The event, which originated in Chicago seven years ago, aims to raise funds and awareness for Down syndrome research through LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation (LuMind RDS).
LuMind RDS currently funds research projects focused on preventing Alzheimer’s onset and improving cognition of individuals with Down syndrome, developing gene therapies and advancing understanding of Down syndrome. Since 2004, the foundation has provide $17 million in grants to fund research for individuals with Down syndrome at top institutions including University of California San Diego, Stanford University, University of Arizona, Johns Hopkins, Emory, MIT and UCONN Health and more than $50 million in concurrent funding by the pharma industry and the National Institute of Health for supported research projects.
Funding Futures New York will feature keynote speaker Hampus Hillerstrom, President and CEO of LuMind RDS, special guest and social media sensation, Kenny “Clutch” Thomas, who rose to fame after a video of him dancing for his one-year-old son, Kristian, who is battling leukemia, went viral. The silent auction will feature sculptures by artist Laura Panozzo-Pelath, Owner/Principal at Tezzoro Design who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and Saci, Studio Arts College International in Florence, Italy. Guests can enjoy an open bar, food and live music by Refugee: The Ultimate Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Experience.
All are welcome to attend the inaugural New York gala on September 20, sponsored by John’s Crazy Socks, Enterprise Lighting Sales, Fordham University and Goodwin Law. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit www.fundingfutures.us.
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About LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation:
LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation is dedicated to enable independence and enrich community engagement for all individuals with Down syndrome by identifying and accelerating high impact research.
Established in 2004, we have awarded $17M in research grants to fund groundbreaking projects at top academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies leading to more than $40M in concurrent funding from the NIH, industry and other sources. LuMind RDS-supported research has led to the discovery of 10 therapeutic targets, the development of 3 Down syndrome-specific cognitive assessment scales, 15 interventional and observational clinical trials with more than 1300 participants and the initiation of several consortia.