About our Night of Hope Galas

The Night of Hope Gala, an evening celebrating and supporting ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) research is the number one premier event in the Southeast that raises funds for this devastating disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks, and eventually kills the nerve cells and pathways in the brain and the spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness. Simple tasks such as talking, walking and eating become increasingly difficult and then impossible as the body's muscles waste away. Yet, through it all, for the vast majority of people, their minds remain unaffected. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. Currently there is no known cause or cure for ALS. The goals for the Night of Hope Gala are two fold: One is to fund research that will one day lead to a treatmen or cure for ALS and to increase awareness and educate the community on this devastating disease.

The 2009 Gala will mark the fourth year a team of community leaders and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will host an event celebrating and supporting ALS research. The Night of Hope Gala will take place on October 2nd, at the InterContinental Buckhead. The black-tie evening will begin with cocktails and music. There will be a seated dinner with live entertainment by the Craig Duncan Orchestra and a silent and live auction. Brigitte and Bill Peck and Leslie and Payton Neely will Chair the event and lead a large team consisting of community leaders from Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama.

The funds raised at the event are earmarked by the ALS Division of MDA, which leads the worldwide search for treatments and a cure for ALS. MDA maintains 37 MDA/ALS Centers across the country including the ALS Center at Emory University. In 2008 Emory University was named one of five MDA National Clinical Research Centers.

The Night of Hope Gala was inspired by Holly and Palmer Proctor. The 2006 event honored her father who was diagnosed with ALS in July 2005 and raised over $300,000 for ALS research. Since 2006 the Night of Hope Gala has raised over $1.34 million for ALS Research. Past chairs are 2007 Susanne and Jef Wallace and 2008 Libby and Carl Patrick and Sheri Sims-Hofherr. Over the past three years our sponsors have included: Turner Sports, Petro South, Coca-Cola Bottlers Association, Fidelity Bank, Choate Construction, Georgia Power, Emory University Hospital, The Coca-Cola Company, Sanofi-Aventis, CITGO Petroleum, Wachovia Bank, Coca-Cola of Sacramento, Coca-Cola of Alaska and several others