Keep Memory Alive Honors Jimmy Kimmel and Hosts Star-Studded Lineup at Power of Love Gala

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LAS VEGAS, Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Keep Memory Alive honored Jimmy Kimmel at the annual Power of Love® gala on Saturday, Feb. 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. An esteemed lineup of entertainers came together to celebrate the Las Vegas native and host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" including Anthony Anderson, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Billy Crystal, Jeff Ross and Dax Shepard.

The gala is a vital platform to generate funds to enable the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to find, fund, and facilitate the most effective and innovative research, treatment, and educational support programming for patients and their families affected by brain disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, multiple system atrophy and multiple sclerosis.

Other notable guests in attendance included Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Lisa Vanderpump, Ken Todd, Julie Chen Moonves, Gretchen Rossi, Slade Smiley, Shelley Hennig, Mark Davis, Steven Lagos, and Maria Shriver, founder of The Women's Alzheimer's Movement Prevention and Research Center at Cleveland Clinic and chief visionary and strategic advisor of the Women's Comprehensive Health and Research Center.

Keep Memory Alive Co-founders Camille and Larry Ruvo reflected on three decades of groundbreaking achievements. Larry highlighted the center's evolution from its initial focus on Alzheimer's to addressing a range of neurodegenerative diseases, earning recognition as one of just 52 Parkinson's Centers of Excellence worldwide and its designation as a National Multiple Sclerosis Society Center for Comprehensive MS Care.

He also spoke about pioneering initiatives like the The WAM Prevention and Research Center, and the Angie Ruvo Caregiving Chair, which has helped facilitate more than 150,000 visits to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health's no-cost community and caregiver educational, therapeutic and support programming. He closed with a powerful statement, "We are changing the world, not just Nevada."

Judge Judy Sheindlin presented Top Rank founders Lovee and Bob Arum with the Community Leadership Award for their extraordinary philanthropic commitment to Keep Memory Alive and numerous other nonprofit organizations.

It was a night celebrating the power of laughter as Kimmel's friends took turns sharing stories and memories in his honor. Bell and Shepard delighted the audience with a personal video of Kimmel attempting to roller skate, calling him "the most thoughtful and generous friend." Crystal recalled being Kimmel's first-ever interview and praised his support during the LA fires, noting Kimmel was among the first to call when his house burned down and turned his show's backlot into a donation center for affected families.

Ross brought the house down with a signature roast, joking about Kimmel's Nevada roots and that he grew up "somewhere around Area 51." He took a moment to recognize medical professionals and caregivers, sharing his experience caring for his grandfather and noting the significance of National Caregivers Day, which fell just a day before the gala.

Bateman and Kimmel's childhood priest from Las Vegas, Rev. Bill Kenny, joined sidekick Guillermo, dressed as Elvis, to present Kimmel with the evening's honor. Kimmel reflected on his Las Vegas upbringing, acknowledging the presence of his family and childhood friends in the audience.

"When I was in high school at Clark High School, I delivered pizza and one of the cassette tapes I would listen to was a Billy Crystal comedy album," he said. "If you had told me that 40 years later, he would fly out here three weeks after his house burned down to honor me, I wouldn't have been able to wrap my head around it."

Kimmel also spoke about his personal connection to the clinic's work, sharing how his own family members had benefited from its expertise. "They are doing amazing things that this city can be very proud of," he said.

Kimmel then took the mic to sing a rendition of Neil Diamond's "Heartlight" with Cleto and the Cletones before Earth, Wind & Fire kept the celebration going with electrifying performances of hits like "Let's Groove" and "Boogie Wonderland" with a rousing finale of "September."

The live auction was full of energy, with bidding wars over priceless experiences with celebrities including David Beckham, Johnny Depp, Mark Wahlberg and Helen Mirren.

The evening's gourmet dinner was prepared by Chefs Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller, and paired with wines from Southern Glazer's Wine, Spirits & Beer of Nevada, followed by a dazzling dessert display from the MGM Grand pastry team.

For more information, visit keepmemoryalive.org/pol. Stay connected on Instagram (@ccnevadakma) and Facebook (facebook.com/ccnevadakma).

About the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health:

Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which opened in 2009, provides expert diagnosis and treatment for individuals and families living with Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body, frontotemporal and other dementias; Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, multiple system atrophy and other movement disorders; and multiple sclerosis. With locations in Cleveland, Ohi; Weston, Florida, and headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, the center offers a continuum of care with no-cost opportunities for the community to participate in education and research, including disease prevention studies and clinical trials of promising new medications. An integrated entity, Keep Memory Alive, raises funds exclusively in support of the Nevada location. clevelandclinic.org/Nevada.

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 to support 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, ALS, and memory disorders of all kinds, we can ensure progress towards better treatments and ultimately cures that will occur in Las Vegas.  For additional information, call (702) 263-9797 or visit keepmemoryalive.org.

Contact:
Carrie Giverson | Dawn Farahi 702-449-2818, [email protected]
MacKenzie Ruta, 702-219-5601, [email protected]

Cleveland Clinic Corporate Communications
9500 Euclid Ave. / JJN4-01
Cleveland, OH 44195
Phone: 216.444.0141
newsroom.clevelandclinic.org

SOURCE Keep Memory Alive