Gabrielle Giersch, Associate Director of Education and Assistant Director of Athlete Performance and Safety
On May 11th KSI hosted our 6th annual fundraising gala at the NFL headquarters in New York City. Our staff traveled down and were humbled and honored by the incredible turnout and support from those that attended. The efforts of KSI to prevent sudden death and maximize safety and performance were major topics of remarks made throughout the night.
We were honored by the presence of several of our corporate partners who help immensely to making the mission of KSI a reality. It was truly a night for people to come together in joyous support of the work of KSI and their role in it. We were especially excited to welcome heartsmart.com since it was their first KSI event as a corporate partner!
We were able to honor three incredible people with our KSI awards. The 2017 KSI Lifesaving Research Award was presented to R. Dawn Comstock, PhD from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado, the 2017 KSI Lifesaving Service Award was presented to James L. Thornton, ATC from Clarion University, and the 2017 KSI Lifesaving Education Award was presented to Brain Hainline, MD, CMO of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Big congratulations to all award winners!!
As a follow-up from the announcements from the last year’s fundraising gala, it was announced that all proceeds from the 6th annual fundraising gala were going toward the heat lab equipment fund. After some unforeseen circumstances that increased the cost, we have decided to raise additional funds for the lab equipment, instead of compromising the quality of the facility. University of Connecticut generously pledged to offer the account up to $200,000, if KSI can raise $130,000. Donations can be made from our website: https://uconn.givecorps.com/causes/1153-the-korey-stringer-institute-fund
We would like to give a special thanks to the UConn Foundation for assistance in helping the evening run so smoothly. We also cannot thank the attendees enough for traveling to attend the event, proudly showing your support for KSI and our mission, and always being so generous with your time and advocacy.
For the photos of the gala please visit the link below: