A
upcoming fund-raiser in support of diabetes research will
feature Olympic figure skater Silvia Fontana and silver
medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov.
The
second annual Skate for the Cure, a gala event featuring
an elite list of figure skaters, will be held April 1 at
The Rinks at Shelton.
The
two-hour benefit, created and managed by Staples High
School senior Daniel Innamorati, 17, will raise funds for
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The show
will feature Olympic, international and up-and-coming
regional skaters.
Last
year, Innamorati raised more than $27,000 with this event
for JDRF and hopes to surpass that amount this year.
"With
this being an Olympic year and figure skating at the
forefront as everyone's favorite winter competition, I
hope to raise even more money as well as awareness of the
terrible disease," he said.
Helping
him to achieve his goal this year is Ilana Phillips, 16, a
junior at Staples High School.
"I
really enjoyed helping out last year," said Phillips, "but
this year I wanted to take on a greater role. JDRF does
such important work and helps so many children that I
wanted to help them make an even bigger difference in the
lives of those children with the disease."
Though
neither Innamorati nor Phillips has a personal connection
to juvenile diabetes, Innamorati's grandparents are among
the 18.5 million in the United States who have been
diagnosed with diabetes.
Innamorati who is
a five-time national U.S. competitor in figure skating
has
been training in the sport since he was 8. During this
year's show, he will skate to a Jeff Beck guitar rendition
of the Beatles' song, A Day in the Life.
Also
participating in this year's event is Victor Baryshevtsev,
a three-time Ukrainian national champion and a five-time
national team member of the Soviet Union.
"All of
the skaters will have their own performance program,"
Innamorati said. "Some will do a competition program,
others will be doing a show program."
He
notes that is has been "extremely gratifying to combine my
passion for skating with the great cause of juvenile
diabetes research."
He is
the son of Barbara and Joseph Innamorati of Westport.
Alan
Phillips, of The Rink at Shelton/ Sports Center of
Connecticut, commends Innamorati on his achievements and
his dedication.
"The
upcoming program is 'world-class,'" he said. "We worked
with Daniel during last year's event. It was a great show
that featured Olympic, national and world champions. This
is a great event that supports a great cause."
Phillips, of Westport, and Howard Saffan, of Weston, the
principals in The Rinks at Shelton, are providing the
arena without charge for the evening.
Phillips noted that more sponsors are needed to support
the event, and urges interested parties to visit the Web
site,
www.skateforthecure.com, for more information.
"This
event will allow the audience to enjoy the performances of
world-class skaters in a very intimate setting," Phillips
said.
Tickets
for the show will be priced at $10 for students and $20
for adults. All proceeds will go directly to JDRF.
Tickets
can be ordered from the Skate for The Cure Web site. The
Silvermine Market, at 1032 Silvermine Road in New Canaan,
is also selling tickets. Tickets can be reserved in
advance by calling 966-4050.
The
emcee for the evening will once again be Frank Simms of
New York, a singer who has appeared with Madonna, Elvis
Costello, David Bowie and Billy Joel, and is the voice
behind many characters in movie, cartoons and commercials.
A
special musical guest, fifth-grade singer Annie Nirschel,
will return this year.
She was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes prior to her fourth
birthday. She has gone on to become one of Manhattan's top
children voice-over stars having done numerous commercials
and is now working on a CD with a Grammy Award-winning
producer.
Last
year's event also featured Fontana, a three-time Italian
National Champion and Olympian. Also on the roster were
Canadian National Pairs Bronze Medalists Elizabeth Putnam
and Sean Wirtz, 2006 Olympic alternate and World Junior
Figure Skating Championship Bronze Medallist Emily Hughes
and European champion and Olympic bronze medallist Jozef
Sabovcik.
Both
Innamorati and Phillips have high hopes that these skaters
and others will join the fund-raiser this year.
"Daniel
and Ilana's mission to promote so worthy a cause is
enamoring and deserving of all our support," said Saffan.
Innamorati noted that many Staples High School students
have lent their support to the event and are volunteering
their assistance in this endeavor.
The
Rinks at Shelton features two NHL-size ice surfaces
stacked one on top of the other, the only such
configuration known to exist anywhere in the world.
The
arena is part of the 15-acre Sports Center of Connecticut
that also offers an all-weather golf driving range,
batting cages, mini-golf, a health club and facilities for
corporate meetings and banquets.
The
latest information on Skate for the Cure '06 is available
at
www.skateforthecure.com.
JDRF,
the leading charitable fund and advocate of Type 1(
juvenile) diabetes research worldwide, was founded by
parents of children with juvenile diabetes, a disease that
strikes children suddenly, making them insulin-dependent
for life and carrying the constant threat of devastating
complications.
