Women of Influence Set to Converse During Drive Toward a Cure’s Evening of ‘Music & Motion’
Vanessa Williams, Rasheda Ali Walsh, Shelby Hall and Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas Support Parkinson’s at Reno’s National Automobile Museum
The legacies of some of the best known talents in their respective fields include the daughters of heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali and the legendary ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown, and the granddaughter of off-road racing pioneer Rod Hall. All three will join together at Reno’s National Automobile Museum on April 18th for ‘An Evening of Music & Motion’ to bring awareness to Parkinson’s disease and raise funds to benefit the Parkinson’s Support Center of Northern Nevada. Proceeds from the evening will provide resources and support for the more than 5,000 individuals living with Parkinson’s disease in the High Sierra community. The very special evening is hosted by national non-profit foundation Drive Toward a Cure®, the philanthropic organization which has opened channels through the automotive community at large to enrich the lives of those living with the chronic disease and fund patient care initiatives where fundraising endeavors are held.
While the upcoming benefit will include full access to the entire 100,000+ sq ft Museum, a highlight for the evening is sure to be a roundtable discussion entitled ‘Conversations for a Cause’ to be moderated by singer, actress, and producer Vanessa Williams, with an open dialog among actress and author, Rasheda Ali Walsh; off-road racer and adventure creator, Shelby Hall; and humanitarian, actress and author, Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas. All four will be sharing the stage to reveal their own personal experiences being raised among cultural legends, and their passions within their community.
According to Deb Pollack, founder of Drive Toward a Cure, the ‘Music & Motion’ event will share in the love of the automobile, along with the bond of Cars and Camaraderie® — often aligned with the nostalgia music provides. “But it’s really the ‘motion’ that brings us together – because motion is more than transportation – it’s also about ‘mobility’, which we typically take for granted but is one of the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease.”
Pollack notes that the evening will not only highlight cars once belonging to musical artists, but also offer silent auction items that include experiences and autographed memorabilia like a Taylor acoustic guitar signed by John Oates – half of the most successful rock duo of all time, Hall & Oates, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and car collector – plus a pair of drumsticks and Limited Edition book, ‘Inside Out’, (the definitive history of progressive rock band Pink Floyd), written and hand-signed by Nick Mason, a founding member and drummer of Pink Floyd. There’s also a package donated by legendary songstress Vanessa Williams that will include a 15-minute one-on-one Zoom conversation, along with original scripts from the Emmy and Golden Globe winning drama series ‘Ugly Betty.’
On the ‘motion’ side, one particularly special experience that will be up for auction is a private tour of one of the world’s great Porsche ‘Garajmahal’ collections – that of Reno’s Ranson Webster. Webster’s outstanding assemblage includes more than 50 Porsche models of historic significance from 1949-1996.
Additional items available for bidding will include on-track experiences, original artwork by automotive fine artists including Kelly Telfer and Lyn Hiner, event tickets for the Golden Knights, Reno Philharmonic, and getaways from the Edgewood Tahoe Resort and the Renaissance Hotel and Spa, with numerous others available on site and all with proceeds supporting Parkinson’s.
Tickets for the evening are still available and include both VIP and General Admission packages, for attendees to enjoy full access to the museum, live music, food stations, wine tasting by Adobe Road Winery, and signature drinks compliments of House of Carbonadi and Gläce Luxury Ice. For more information and to purchase tickets please view: www.drivetowardacure.org/musicandmotion