The Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala
The Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala is the signature fundraising event of ALS Greater New York. The 2024 Gala marked another important step in our urgent quest for a cure. With your support, we can move closer to our ultimate vision: a world without ALS.
On November 12, 2024, we honored extraordinary champions in the fight against ALS!
Jacob K. Javits Lifetime Achievement Award - Dan Doctoroff, founder of Target ALS and former NYC Deputy Mayor, for his relentless commitment to ALS research and advocacy.
Champion Award - David Lubars, retired Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Worldwide, for nearly two decades of steadfast support for the ALS community.
Lou Gehrig Sports Award was awarded to three exceptional figures for their contributions on and off the field:
- Adam Graves, NY Rangers legend
- Thomas Morstead, NY Jets Team Captain & punter
- John Sterling, NY Yankees iconic radio play-by-play announcer
We stand united in our mission to make a difference for those living with ALS.
2024 Honorees
Jacob K. Javits Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Daniel L. Doctoroff, Founder and Chairman of Target ALS. Having lost both his father and uncle to ALS, Daniel L. Doctoroff founded Target ALS, a transformative biomedical research nonprofit, in 2013 to accelerate the discovery of effective treatments for ALS. In October 2021, Dan himself was diagnosed with ALS.
Target ALS has galvanized unprecedented collaborations between academia and the pharma and biotech industry, lowered barriers to access to critical research tools, and become a hub of communication and networking for the worldwide research community, resulting in the launch of seven clinical trials and several dozens of drug discovery programs within last decade.
Prior to his diagnosis, Dan was Chairman and CEO of Sidewalk Labs, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bloomberg L.P., and served as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding for the City of New York. His memoir-manifesto, Greater than Ever: New York’s Big Comeback, chronicled his experience in City Hall.
The Champion Award was presented to David Lubars, the newly retired Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Worldwide. While David has spent decades shaping the world of advertising and its creative direction he has also been dedicated to ALS awareness. David's extraordinary leadership elevated BBDO to become the most recognized agency globally being named Cannes Network of the Decade from 2010 to 2020. His accolades are equally impressive, with over 600 Cannes Lions, 200 One Show Pencils, and seven Emmy Awards, including three in the last five years.
While his professional success is undeniable, it's David’s contributions to nonprofit organizations that truly stand out. Over the years, he has devoted countless hours and resources to supporting causes like ALS United, Autism Speaks, and Sandy Hook Promise, giving these organizations access to the best creative teams and providing them with a platform far beyond their expectations.
Since joining the Board at ALS United Greater New York in 2005, following the heartbreaking loss of a colleague to ALS, David has channeled his exceptional talents toward advancing causes that matter deeply to him, particularly ALS awareness and advocacy.
The Lou Gehrig Sports Awards are given to athletes whose achievements on and off the field exemplify the leadership and strength of character that Lou Gehrig displayed in his personal and professional life. This year three individuals demonstrate these qualities that Lou Gehrig embodied.
Adam Graves, a New York Rangers Legend, collected 280 goals and 227 assists for 507 points in 772 games. He ranks third among all Rangers career goal scores with 280 and is 10th on the club’s all-time scoring list with 507 points. He established a Rangers’ single-season record for most goals scored during the 93-94 campaign, tallying 52, breaking Vic Hadfield’s 22-year-old club record of 50.
Adam has been honored with several Rangers team awards, including Most Valuable Player, the Player’s Player Ceil Saidel Memorial Award, and the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. His #9 jersey was raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters in 2009, joining the ranks of New York Rangers legends.
His decade-long tenure with the Rangers was marked not only by his on-ice success but also by his tireless dedication to charitable work in the New York metropolitan area. Since returning to the Rangers organization in 2005, Graves has been actively involved in various youth hockey and fan engagement programs. Throughout his career and beyond, his leadership both on and off the ice has made a lasting impact.
Thomas Morstead, punter for the New York Jets, is a 16-year veteran of the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Houston, Texas, and was raised in a nearby suburb of Pearland, Texas. Thomas played college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Morstead took over place-kicking and punting chores in 2006, earning All-Conference USA third-team honors.
Thomas was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. As a rookie, he recorded 58 punts. He played a role in the Saints' victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV by executing an ambush surprise onside kick to start the second half of the game. Thomas currently holds the record for most kickoff touchbacks in one game with nine, which he set in a 62–7 victory over the Colts in 2011.
In 2023, Thomas signed with the New York Jets and is currently the Team Captain. Thomas is dedicating his 16th season in honor of Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints safety, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Thomas is donating $1,000 for each kick he drops inside the opponent’s 20-yeard line as part of his Punt for ALS campaign. In 2023, Thomas dropped a career-high 36 punts inside the 20-yard line.
John Sterling, New York Yankees radio play-by-play announcer, began his broadcasting career in radio in 1970 where he did play-by-play for the NBA and the NHL covering the New York/New Jersey Nets and the New York Islanders. After his initial stint in New York, John spent nine years in Atlanta hosting a sports call-in show covering the Braves and the Hawks.
In 1989, John began his 35-year career as the radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. His voice has been synonymous with the Yankees for multiple generations of fans. Known for his resonant tone, signature home run calls, and Yankees victory call (“Ballgame over! The Yankees win … theeeeeee Yankees win!”), he called 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019. By the time of his retirement in April 2024, he had called 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason Yankees games.
John has won 12 Emmy Awards during his illustrious broadcasting career. and on Saturday, April 20, 2024, the New York Yankees honored John in a pregame on-field ceremony where he received a video tribute highlighting his best calls and moments from his tenure in the Yankees radio booth, along with video messages from former Yankee greats Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, and Derek Jeter.
2023 Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala
2022 Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala
