Longest-Running Awards Luncheon of Its Kind Has Been Honoring Prominent Women For Over Half A Century

Whoopi GoldbergWhat do Eleanor Roosevelt and Whoopi Goldberg have in common? Or Marlene Dietrich and Suzanne Wright? Or Billie Jean King and Zaha Hadid?

These accomplished women have all been honored at one of the nation�s longest-running events of its kind, the �Spirit of Achievement� luncheon, held in New York City for the past 54 years to honor prominent women for their distinguished professionalism and humanitarianism.

The annual awards luncheon, continuously sponsored since 1954 by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine National Women�s Division, is both a salute to women and a fund raiser, which has raised over $10 million to support medical research and care at Einstein. Nearly 500 attended this year�s luncheon, which was held on Monday, May 5, 2008, at the Pierre Hotel in NYC, helping to raise more than $400,000 in support of the medical school�s Children�s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC).

A Roll Call of Celebrities Honored That is Unlike Any Other

Dylan Lauren
Suzanne WrightThe luncheon�s 2008 honorees were Pamela Fiori, Whoopi Goldberg, Zaha Hadid, Dylan Lauren, Suzanne Wright, and Sydell L. Miller. They join an overall list of awardees that reads like a celebrity roll call, featuring a roster of impressive women from fields as varied as the arts, politics, business, sports and media. Most recently they have included: Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, Alma Powell, Senator Barbara Boxer and Sharon Stone; and in the past: Eleanor Roosevelt, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Walters, Nora Ephron, Shirley MacLaine, Diane Von Furstenberg and Lena Horne.

The co-chairs of this year�s event were Andrea Stark, Nancy Corzine and Judith Ripka Berk. �The event is the highlight of our annual fundraising endeavors and honors women who get things done for themselves and for others,� said Ms. Stark. �The funds raised support cutting-edge biomedical research and education programs at Einstein, such as CERC, helping to advance the College�s mission of transforming human health.

Current Fundraising Goal: $3 Million for Research in Autism and Other Children�s Developmental Disorders

Sydell L. MillerSince its inception, the Women�s Division has raised over $100 million in support of various Einstein research programs, including AIDS; diabetes and other metabolic diseases, cancer (in particular cancers that affect women); and brain sciences. Approximately $10 million of those funds have been raised at the Women�s Division annual awards luncheon. Most recently, the group raised $5 million in support of a floor in Einstein's new Michael F. Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine/Harold and Muriel Block Research Pavilion.

The funds raised at this year�s event will go to a $3-million campaign to support Einstein�s Children�s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), which provides diagnosis, evaluation and treatment services for children with serious developmental disorders such as autism, spina bifida, and language and learning disabilities. Clinicians at CERC will collaborate with Einstein�s basic scientists on a host of important research initiatives aimed at improving the health and quality of life for children with developmental disabilities. The goal of their cutting-edge research will be to identify the causes of, and find better treatments - and ultimately cures - for these devastating conditions.

Women�s Division & Luncheon History

Pamela Fiori
Zaha HadidEinstein�s National Women�s Division actually began its fundraising efforts in behalf of the College of Medicine in 1953, before the medical school�s opening in 1955. From its earliest project to help stock a 200,000-volume collection in Einstein�s D. Samuel Gottesman Library to its current effort in support of the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center, the Women�s Division has been devoted to aiding Einstein scientists in furthering and achieving their important research goals.

Through its �Spirit of Achievement� luncheon, established in 1954, the Women�s Division began to honor women whose achievements are notable from a professional, humanistic and/or philanthropic perspective.

Each year, the group painstakingly selects women who exemplify excellence and represent a broad range of fields or philanthropic endeavors, which was reflected in the remarkable diversity and level of achievement of this year�s honorees, who included: Zaha Hadid, the first woman to receive the Pritzker Award, architecture's equivalent to the Nobel Prize; Pamela Fiori, a leading magazine editor; Suzanne Wright, a pioneering advocate and champion for autism research; Sydell L. Miller, philanthropist and co-founder of a major professional hair and beauty products company; Dylan Lauren, a rising young entrepreneur in the world of confections and sweets; and Whoopi Goldberg, mega-star of stage, film and television who is also noted for her humanitarian efforts. Advertising mogul and popular CNBC-TV host Donny Deutsch served as master of ceremonies.

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