Cause Celeb highlights a celebrity’s work on behalf of a specific cause. This week, we speak with former Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan about her participation with .
The Buoniconti Fund's aim find a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries. The fund was founded by football legend Nick Buoniconti after his son Marc suffered a spinal cord injury during a college football game.
Each year, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis holds the Great Sports Legends Dinner honoring sports figures and philanthropic heroes in order to bring awareness and support to the fund.
This year's 26th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York raised more than $10 million for paralysis research. One of the standout sports honorees was Kerrigan and Cause Celeb was lucky enough to speak with her about the event.
Intro by: Jesse Strauch
Interview by: Giacinta Pace
Q: So how did you find out about this organization and how did you get involved?
Kerrigan: Well I was asked to come so they could honor me and I just thought, wow! When they sent that invitation with that list of people that have been included and what it’s about, I really feel honored. Just to be amongst an organization that has done so much, that has raised so much money to research and to be able to be a part of something like that, it’s really amazing. I’m able to contribute in a way that can help and I feel really lucky to be able to do that.
Q: Why do you feel personally that this organization is so important?
Kerrigan: You know today, I’m very lucky to have a healthy body. But you don’t know what tomorrow brings, it doesn’t matter if you’re an athlete anybody can be affected by a spinal cord injury. You just never know what tomorrow will bring. So to be able to lend my name and I guess my celebrity to bring this [The Buoniconti Fund] to a new area, than we can raise even more money and do more research. Then hopefully we will see more results for people to get up and walk again.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Kerrigan: I’m mainly a mom now and I still skate and perform a little bit but mostly I’m just driving, getting dinner ready, making sure they’re at school on time. So to be able to be grouped in with this and these amazing people and then to be honored it’s just amazing to me, it is truly an honor.