DONALTY CURE BENEFIT RAISES $210,506 PASSES $1 MILLION TOTAL RAISED

More than 500 people heard words of hope from a Purdue University research scientist Saturday evening – and they helped Utica keep in the forefront nationally of funding epilepsy research by raising $ 210,506  and pushing the total raised over five years past the $1 million mark at $1,154,881.

The dinner, held at Hart’s Hill inn by local volunteers for Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), also honored Herkimer Attorney George Aney.  He has chaired all five events since their inception in 2003, following the untimely passing a year earlier of Christopher Donalty, a 21-year old college student in whose memory the event is held.  Christopher is the son of Jeanne and Barry Donalty of Utica and he died of Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy.

Dr. Pedro P. Irazoqui, a Purdue University neuroengineer, spoke about the research that he is doing that has been funded by the Utica-area efforts.  “Thanks to initial funding from CURE, we were able to start what has become a multi-million dollar research center for implantable devices at Purdue, targeting closed-loop seizure suppression with no side-effects as its primary goal,” he said.

Jeanne Donalty, who is now on the CURE national board, expressed gratitude at what the community has done.  “We’re ecstatic about what our hometown has accomplished. The Mohawk Valley’s generosity has once again put it on the national map,” she said.  “The money raised from CURE locally has funded 10 cutting edge research grants. The disease is heart-breaking to so many people in our community, but the money for research can make a difference, and the difference, the breakthrough, may even come from what we’ve done here in the Mohawk Valley.”

Michael C. Austin
Vice President and Director of Corporate Communications
Utica National Insurance Group
P.O. Box 530, Utica, NY 13503