Back by popular demand, the 3rd Annual Partners for Life Gala will be held on June 12, 2003 at the New York Hilton Hotel. Join Master of Ceremonies Ron Rifkin, Tony Award winner for best supporting actor in the Broadway revival of Cabaret, as Gift of Life introduces its donors and recipients for the very first time one year post-transplant! Each year, Gift of Life honors its remarkable bone marrow donors, volunteers and philanthropists who make its life-saving work possible.

Howard Jonas

This year's Partners for Life Honoree is Howard S. Jonas, Chairman of the IDT Corporation, a leading provider of wholesale and retail telecommunications services. At age 33, Mr. Jonas, founder of IDT, pioneered what is now a multi-billion-dollar a year call reorigination industry known as international callback. Mr. Jonas became involved with Gift of Life last year when a member of his community was in need of a bone marrow transplant. Mr. Jonas sponsored a recruitment drive at IDT's headquarters in Newark, New Jersey . Among the 350 donors tested was Mr. Jonas' son Michael, who was recently called by Gift of Life as a potential match for a young man needing a transplant.

Warren Spector

Last year's Partners for Life Gala honored Warren Spector, President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Bear Stearns Companies, a leading investment banking, securities and brokerage firm based in New York . Mr. Spector became active in Gift of Life when his sister Ruthie, a loving mother of three small children, was diagnosed with leukemia and told that she needed a bone marrow transplant. His support was responsible for the registration of well over 30,000 new donors, and facilitated over two dozen transplants to date!

Partners for Life 2002

This year's gala will prove to be equally rewarding! Mr. Spector's sister Ruthie had a successful bone marrow transplant last year, thanks to the kindness of a total stranger. Ruthie is doing well, enjoying every precious day with her husband Les and three small children. A physician specializing in anesthesiology, Ruthie was recently elected to Gift of Life's Board of Directors, where she will be a valuable resource for patient advocacy and medical policy.

Another transplant recipient named Jennifer, for whom Gift of Life also organized recruitment drives, will share a magical moment at the gala when she has the pleasure to meet her life-saving donor.

Flight for Life

Finally, one of the two Israeli children whose lives were saved by Gift of Life donors last year will be introduced at this year's gala. Jay Feinberg, Founder and Executive Director, delivered the bone marrow to Israel from the United States . Every month, Gift of Life airlifts bone marrow to destinations throughout the world.

Please contact Gift of Life today for your free copy of last year's donor/recipient gala video available on mini-CD, and join us on June 12 for another magical evening!