Get Your Tickets: Discount Expires Thursday

Experiencing post-holiday depression? Feel there's nothing to look forward to but the doldrums of winter? Cheer up! The Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit is less than two months away! And now is the time to buy your tickets, because the early bird registration rate of $85 expires with 2008 when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.

Tickets will remain available for online purchase until February 13, and will then be available for purchase at the door the night of the event, at the following rates:

$100 per person after January 1

$150 per person after February 1 and at the door

Click HERE to purchase tickets today! OR...

For $250 you may wish to become a Friend of Frazier and receive one ticket, deep discounts on addition ticket purchases ($50 per ticket), and public recognition for your support. For more information please e-mail me at emilyhevents@gmail.com.

Tickets Now Available!

Tickets to the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit are now available for purchase online!

• $85 per personBefore 2009


• $100 per person after January 1


• $150 per person after February 1 and at the door

Or for $250, you can become a Friend of Frazier and receive one free ticket, deep discounts on additional ticket purchases, and public recognition for your support. Please email RCBG Benefit Chair Emily Holubowich to become a Friend of Frazier.

Already busy February 21? Please consider making a charitable donation directly to Frazier to support the Spinal Cord Medicine Program.

At this time of generosity and thankfulness, I hope you’ll consider giving the gift of hope to those yearning to do what so many of us take for granted: putting one foot in front of the other.

Spotlight on Sponsors: Design by Ina

When the "old Hollywood" concept for the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit started to take shape, I knew exactly who to approach to do the logo, Web site layout, and overall branding: Graphic designer Ina Herrera. She has it all. Brains, beauty, and talent. Her modern , clean approach to graphic design perhaps derives from her Norwegian roots. Wherever she gets it, I knew she was the one to develop the "art deco goes contemporary" look and feel of my dreams.

I think you'll agree that Ina hit it out of the park. The logo itself--an abstract, stained glass circa 1920s rendition of the red carpet and bluegrass--perfectly captures my vision. And the vibrancy of the Web site's red and gold on black motif speaks to the glamour of this special event. Ina has been a joy to work with, and I so appreciate the pro bono work she has done (and continues to do!) on behalf of the benefit. At this time of Thanksgiving, lending her creative genius to the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit is the most special of gifts.

In addition to brand and logo development, Ina is available to design custom stationary, holiday cards, and invitations. I hope you will consider Design by Ina for your special event or corporate needs.

For more information, contact Ina at or visit her blog.

Faces of Frazier: Harkema and the Science of Walking

Susan J. Harkema, Ph.D. is the director of research at the Frazier Rehab Institute, where she has pioneered the development of Locomoter Training that is helping many of Frazier's spinal cord patients learn to walk again. Locomotor Training re-teaches walking by providing sensory cues that can be recognized by the circuitry of the spinal cord and promote better muscle patterns for walking. The program has three components:

1. Step training: Patients are suspended in a harness to support their weight while specially trained physical therapists assist them in walking on a treadmill. This training allows the nervous system to relearn the motions associated with walking.

2. Overground Walking Training: Patients take their newly trained walking skills to the ground, concentrating on specific limitations to independent walking, including gait deviations.

3. Community Ambulation Training: Patients reach their potential for safe and effective
movement at home and in their communities, through carefully-monitored training in natural environments. A side benefit of Dr. Harkema's Locomotor Training is that patients are healthier. When wheelchair bound, patients frequently suffer from pulmonary and cardiovascular
problems, along with metabolic problems, diabetes, and muscle and bone loss. With this intervention, people experience better overall health and report a better quality of life.

“I feel particularly lucky to have access to the Locomotor Training that the gym offers," says Liz Fust, one of Frazier's patients learning to walk again through this groundbreaking therapy. "It makes a world of difference in how I feel and function.”

Dr. Harkema's research on human locomotion and the ability to recover is informing new strategies that can be used by physical therapists for the rehabilitation of patients who have experienced neurologic injury. Proceeds from the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit will help Frazier extend Dr. Harkema's Locomotor Training to many more patients who hope to once again do what so many of us take for granted: put one foot in front of the other.

Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available!

The Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit provides multiple opportunities for corporate and individual visibility through event sponsorship among our audience of 200 guests. We’re also happy to customize a sponsorship package that will best meet your needs. A portion of your sponsorship will be contributed directly to Frazier Rehab Institute on your behalf and will be tax deductible, dependent on the number of sponsors secured.

$5,000 Presenting Host receives, among other benefits, event tickets, exclusive listing as the event’s host, a corporate photo session, full page advertisement in the program, and logo placement.

$2,000 Starring Sponsor receives, among other benefits, event tickets, a half-page advertisement in the program, and logo placement.

$1,000 Supporting Sponsor receives tickets, a quarter-page advertisement in the program, and company name placement.

$500 Appearing Sponsor receives tickets and company name placement.

Your company may also exclusively sponsor items for heightened visibility, including specialty cocktails, deserts and coffee, gift bags, and popcorn!

For $250, individuals who wish to support the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit may become a Friend of Frazierand receive an event ticket and public recognition in event materials.

Individual and corporate sponsors all receive deep discounts on additional ticket purchases.

For more sponsorship details or to become a sponsor, please visit our Web site. You may also contact Emily Holubowich, Benefit Chair, with questions or to customize a package.

Faces of Frazier: The Chase is On!

Chase Ford is just one of many miracles at the Frazier Rehab Institute. When he was only two years old, Chase's life changed forever after playtime on the couch with his brother turned tragic. Jumping up and down, Chase fell backwards and hit his head on the wooden armrest--something I'm sure we've all done in our childhood--and as fate would have it, he was paralyzed from the neck down. "When he got hurt, I asked one doctor the prognosis," says Renee Ford, Chase's mother. "He said, 'Your son will be in a wheelchair forever.'"

But this past April, Chase proved them wrong; he walked across the finish line of the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon without assistance (photo above)!

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and University of Louisville's own Susan Harkema, Ph.D., pioneered and funded Frazier's Locomoter Training that brought Chase from zero mobility from the neck down to being able to walk over 100 yards without assistance. The program involves suspending patients in harnesses over treadmills while therapists move their legs to simulate walking. Chase was the youngest child to ever undergo this type of therapy.

"When I first got the opportunity to work with Chase he was unable to stand, and he was unable to walk by himself without assistive devices," says Lee Smith, Chase's physical therapist for the last year. Now, Chase looks forward to running again.

On the possibilities, Lee notes, "We're finding out about what we are capable of doing." On the great demand for Frazier's cutting edge therapy, "There are a lot of other people out there that we could be able to help if we just had the funding."

Want more on Chase and his inspiring journey? You simply must check out this video!

Special thanks to the Fords for allowing me to share Chase's powerful story.

From Crisis, A Benefit is Born

Imagine feeling dull back pain on Thursday...and five days later you 're unable to walk. Such is the story of my dear friend Russell, who at age 32 discovered he was one in the 1.3 million to contract Tranverse Myelitis--a rare neurological disorder that attacks the spinal cord. Some patients recover from TM with only minor or no continuing problems. Others suffer permanent impairments that impact their ability to perform ordinary tasks of daily life...walking, bathing, driving.

Nearly three months from his initial diagnosis, there is great hope. Russell is well on his way to recovery thanks in large part to his dogged determination to run again, the humor and spirit of his lovely wife Ashley, the smile and chunky thighs of his beautiful baby Annie, the prayers of friends, family, and colleagues around the world, and the state-of-the-art therapy provided by the Frazier Rehab Institute Spinal Cord Medicine Program.

Through this experience, Russell--always one to give and never quick to receive--was called to see the silver lining and pay it forward. Myself--always up for hosting a party and giving back--wanted to dedicate my planning skills for the benefit of a greater good. And so the Red Carpet & Bluegrass Benefit was born.

I hope you will join us for this charity reception in celebration of the groundbreaking work of Louisville's own Frazier Rehab Institute, and Russell's incredible journey on the road to recovery. Proceeds from the event will benefit Frazier and will help expand capacity to care for the many more waitlisted patients with spinal cord impairments...awaiting treatment...hoping for miracles.

Please check back for future event news and updates, including the launch of our official Web site. In the meantime:

• Follow Russell's journey by visiting the family blog.
• Check out Frazier's facility and courageous patients.
• Contact me to sponsor the event and receive visibility, tickets, and other benefits, including warm fuzzies.
• Save the date, and invite your friends.
• Start saving for those donations!