MS Gala Luncheon Honoring David B. Schulman

32nd Annual MS Gala Luncheon Serves Hope and Raises Nearly $525,000 to Accelerate Research

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s 32nd annual MS Gala celebration was held on January 23, 2015 at the Broward County Convention Center. The event raised nearly $525,000, which will be used to advance research and treatments and accelerate the progress toward a world free of MS.
More than 800 guests from the tri-county area attended the prestigious philanthropic event, presented by The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, South Florida Chapter.

The MS Gala Luncheon has raised almost $6 million to help the National MS Society, South Florida Chapter fund cutting-edge research, drive change through advocacy, facilitate professional education and provide programs and services designed for the more than 7,500 people with MS and their families.
This year’s MS Hope Award honoree was David B. Schulman, General Agent at MassMutual/DBS Financial Group, who has supported the work of the National MS Society for nearly 30 years.
“David Schulman and his beloved wife, Carrie, have wholeheartedly embraced the Society’s mission and worked tirelessly for three decades to accelerate progress toward a world free of MS. We are so proud to present the National MS Society’s highest volunteer award to David,” said Karen Schneier Dresbach, chapter president of the National MS Society, South Florida Chapter.
The luncheon included a champagne reception, fashion show, silent auction, raffle prices, and more. Designer Mayda Cisneros brought her fashion show to the MS Gala Luncheon. She dazzled guests with the debut of her Spring 2015 collection for women. Her Coral Gables atelier showcases ready-to-wear designs, as well as cocktail, evening wear, bridal, and custom couture. Event chair Ila Feld Davidoff was joined by honorary chairwomen Monica Goldstein and Carrie Schulman.
The MS Gala Luncheon’s generous sponsors included title sponsor, MassMutual/DBS Financial Group; presenting sponsor, MassMutual Financial Group; official automobile sponsor, Audi Coral Springs & Audi Lighthouse Point; and official jewelry sponsor, J.R. Dunn Jewelers. Platinum-level sponsors included Bienenfeld, Lasek & Starr, LLC; Biogen Idec; Genzyme, a Sanofi Company; Hotwire Communications; Jordan Zimmerman Family Foundation; Leo Goodwin Foundation; Lifestyle Media Group; Sandie & Norman Schulman; Ultimate Software; and Terra Group.

About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progression, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 7,500 individuals here in South Florida, and more than 2.3 million people worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of those affected by MS. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. Through its home office and 50-state network of chapters, the Society devoted $122.1 million to programs and services that assisted more than one million people. To move closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $43.3 million to support more than 350 new and ongoing research projects around the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at nationalMSsociety.org.