Kevin Segalla, president and founder of the Stamford-based Connecticut Film Center, will be honored with the MS Champions of the Arts Award from the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter at the 2009 MS Dinner of Champions. The event will be held Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich. (contributed photo)
GREENWICH, CT – The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter will host the 31st annual MS Dinner of Champions on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich.
The MS Dinner of Champions has raised more than $6 million in its 31-year history, honoring outstanding corporate leaders and local and national sports figures who have made a significant contribution to the community at large.
The Louis Dreyfus Group, headquartered in Paris, France with an office in Wilton, will be honored with the 2009 MS Hope Award. The Louis Dreyfus Group is an international organization of companies owned and controlled by Paris-based Louis Dreyfus S.A.S. Its principal activities consist of the processing, trading and merchandising of various agricultural and energy commodities.
The Wilton office of the Louis Dreyfus Group has been a leading corporate fundraiser for the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter since 1992, when it initially established its Bike MS fundraising team. The company and its staff have contributed more than $1 million total to the Connecticut Chapter.
Earlier this year, more than 50 members of the Louis Dreyfus fundraising team rode at the Bike MS: bkm/Steelcase Ride, which took place in Westport and Windsor. The team, captained by North American region chief executive officer Erik Anderson, was the top fundraising team for the Westport ride with $57,859. Anderson, who will be on hand to accept the award on behalf of Louis Dreyfus, raised $11,735 toward the team’s total.
Kevin Segalla, president of the Connecticut Film Center, will receive the MS Champion of the Arts Award at the MS Dinner of Champions. The award honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to advancing the arts and art appreciation in the community
Members of the Wilton-based Louis Dreyfus fundraising team pose at the Bike MS: bkm/Steelcase Ride in Westport. The team, captained by North American region chief executive officer Erik Anderson, was the top fundraising team for the Westport ride with $57,859. On Thursday, Nov. 12, Anderson will accept the MS Hope Award on behalf of Louis Dreyfus during the 2009 MS Dinner of Champions at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich. (contributed photo)
Segalla founded the Connecticut Film Center, a leading provider of financial and production services and facilities for the motion picture and television industries in Connecticut. The center’s flagship facilities in Stamford and Norwalk have played a significant role in the increase of productions located in Connecticut.
Segalla, in addition to supporting a number of charitable organizations, has championed the Connecticut Chapter’s annual MS Gala for many years.
The MS Dinner of Champions will include a cocktail reception, dinner, awards ceremony, live auction and silent auction. Last year, New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman received the Special Achievement Award and pitcher Joba Chamberlain was honored with the J. Walter Kennedy Award. Past honorees include Steve Young, Joe Namath, Frank Gifford and Billie Jean King.
Funds raised through events, such as the MS Dinner of Champions, ensure ongoing scientific research to find a cure and provide for the continuation of vital programs and services offered by the chapter to Connecticut residents diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. The effects of MS are unpredictable. Symptoms can include numbness and tingling in the extremities, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, fatigue and, in some severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted, and there is no cure. The cause is unknown and, as a result, there currently is no cure for MS.
For more information on MS Dinner of Champions or to purchase tickets, please contact Kim Maloney, development manager for the Connecticut Chapter, at 860-913-2550 or e-mail kmaloney@ctfightsMS.org. To learn more about multiple sclerosis, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.
