Event Information

Reception, Dinner, Silent & Live Auctions, Awards Presentation
Wednesday, May 1 4, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Grand Ballroom
Plaza Hotel
Fifth Avenue at Central Park South
New York City

The Spirit of Helen Keller Gala will be held this year on May 14th 2008 at the newly-renovated Plaza Hotel in New York. The event is HKI’s most important fundraiser; proceeds benefit programs that save sight and lives in 22 countries in Asia and Africa as well as in the United States.

This year’s honorees are Richard Clark, Chairman & CEO of Merck, who will receive The Helen Keller Humanitarian Award to recognize Merck’s twenty-year donation of MECTIZAN®, a breakthrough drug treatment for onchocerciasis (“river blindness”); and Gordon and Llura Gund, who will receive The Spirit of Helen Keller Award for their tireless work on behalf of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Governor David A. Paterson, a tireless advocate of the visually and physically impaired, will be a special guest.

The evening’s theme and inspiration draws from the vital role of water in our programs. Who can forget the epiphany a young Helen Keller experienced at the water pump when she realized the motions her teacher, Annie Sullivan, was making in her hand were words that could signify objects, thoughts and feelings. At that moment, her dark and silent world opened up, and her unending thirst for knowledge began.

Water is a critical factor in HKI’s programs to prevent trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. Recurrent bacterial infections cause the eyelid to turn inward, scraping and tearing the cornea. If untreated, the person eventually blinks herself blind. The simple act of regular face-washing can prevent the transmission of the disease, but communities must be educated about this practice and have access to clean water.

Many of HKI’s nutrition programs rely on water. Our homestead food production and gardening programs work at the local level in developing countries to provide training to schools, families and communities to grow nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. Water is essential for nurturing the crops that provide sight and life-saving vitamin A and other vital nutrients.

To find out more about why HKI's work matters and how your support could make a difference, please click here to download compelling facts. In the short amount of time it takes you to download the attachment, one child in the world will go blind and four will die from infections linked to vitamin A deficiency.

For more information about the event, please contact:

Susan Bruder
HKI Special Events
Telephone: + 1 (212) 532-0544 x 815