Imago Galleries hosted a lavish reception for supporters of the Stroke Recovery Center on November 21, 2013. Guests were the first to view new works by renowned artist Ginny Ruffner, who generously created exquisite awards for the honorees of the Center’s primary fundraiser, the 34th annual Winter Wonderland Ball. Ruffner, who is a survivor of traumatic head injury, was the evening’s special guest.
Leisa Austin, owner of Imago Galleries, welcomed the SRC’s major donors including this year’s Winter Wonderland Ball honorees, SRC board member Harvey Gerber and his wife Angie; valley philanthropist Donna MacMillan; and Dr. Javed Siddiqi, head of the Primary Stroke Center at Desert Regional Medical Center, to her newly renovated gallery space, providing an elegant venue for the annual pre-ball reception. Adding to the evening’s festivity was live entertainment by members of the Wayne Foster Orchestra, and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres underwritten by Barbara and Jerry Keller, owners of Piero’s Acqua Pazza and Lulu’s restaurants.
Founded in 1978 by Dr. Irving Hirshleifer, the Stroke Recovery Center offers long-term rehabilitation to the survivors of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), along with support for their families, caregivers, and loved ones. Services are structured to each client’s need and include exercise, nutrition, socialization, and just plain fun. All services are free, since insurance coverage does not exist for the long-term treatment of stroke or TBI. With an annual budget approaching $1 million, the Center relies exclusively on fundraising events, foundations, family donations, and revenues from its on-site thrift shop to fund the more than 10,000 visits it provides to more than 280 clients per year, five days a week.
For information, please call 760-323-7676 or visit www.strokerecoverycenter.org.
Imago Galleries
45-450 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Photographer Lani Garfield
