KEEP MEMORY ALIVE’S 20TH ANNUAL POWER OF LOVE® GALA
HONOREE, TONY BENNETT, RECOGNIZED WITH LAS VEGAS MARQUEE DISPLAY AND STREET RENAMING
On Thursday, May 19, Keep Memory Alive’s 20th annual Power of Love® gala honoree, Tony Bennett, was recognized as 20 Las Vegas marquees around the city lit up with an image of the world-renowned artist in celebration of his 90th birthday and participation in the Gala. More than 50 people attended the invite-only fête, including Bennett’s wife Susan Benedetto, while dozens of onlookers gathered around to watch the ceremony, which took place on the iconic Brooklyn Bridge at New York-New York Hotel & Casino.
Local Las Vegas entertainer Mark Shunock served as the emcee of the soiree and kicked-off the event by introducing the man of the hour, Bennett, and Keep Memory Alive Co-Founder and Chairman Larry Ruvo. Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak then gave remarks recognizing Bennett’s outstanding career by proclaiming Las Vegas Boulevard to be renamed “Tony Bennett Boulevard” for the full day of the Gala on Saturday, May 21. Following Sisolak’s presentation, Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, acknowledged Bennett’s impact on Las Vegas.
Next, Bennett and Ruvo took to the stage to discuss Bennett’s career, milestone birthday and what Keep Memory Alive and brain health means to him. Ruvo then lead the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday,” which concluded with a Dom Pérignon champagne toast by Shunock as the marquees illuminated with Bennett’s picture. Las Vegas marquees that helped mark the occasion included Bally’s Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Fashion Show Mall, Fremont Street Experience, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, Harrah’s Las Vegas, M Resort, Maverick Helicopters, Miracle Mile Shops, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, Rio All-Suite hotel & Casino, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Cromwell, The Linq Hotel & Casino, Tropicana Casino Hotel Resort, Wynn | Encore.
Bennett will be honored Saturday, May 21 during the 20th annual Power of Love gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where some of the biggest entertainers in the industry will join together to celebrate Bennett and his career. James Corden, Andra Day, Darius Rucker, Jordin Sparks, Steven Tyler and more will perform heart-felt tributes of some of Bennett’s infamous hits. Continuing its 20-year history, the star-studded event raises funds and awareness for Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and its fight against brain disease including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, multiple sclerosis and multiple system atrophy.
About Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health:
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health provides state-of-the-art care for cognitive disorders and for the family members of those who suffer from them. The physicians and staff at the Center for Brain Health continuously work towards the development of early diagnosis and the advancement of knowledge concerning mild cognitive disorders, which could one day delay or prevent their onset. Patients receive expert diagnosis and treatment at the Center for Brain Health, which offers a multidisciplinary patient-focused approach to diagnosis and treatment, promoting collaboration across all care providers, offering patients a complete continuum of care and infusing education and research into all that it does. The facility, designed by Frank Gehry, houses clinical space, a diagnostic center, neuroimaging rooms, physician offices, laboratories devoted to clinical research and the Keep Memory Alive Event Center. For more information, visit www.clevelandclinic.org/brainhealth.
About Keep Memory Alive:
Keep Memory Alive, whose mission is to provide enhanced treatment and ultimately cures for patients and their families suffering from neurocognitive disorders, raises awareness and funds in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. By supporting Keep Memory Alive and its fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, frontotemporal dementia, multiple sclerosis and multiple system atrophy, we can ensure progress towards better treatments and ultimately cures will occur in Las Vegas. For additional information call (702) 263-9797 or visit www.keepmemoryalive.org
