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MDRT Foundation Receives Beacon of Light Award

The MDRT Foundation received the prestigious Beacon of Light Award from the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of California (MGFC) on March 15.

This award was given to your MDRT Foundation in recognition of its long-time support to help children afflicted with myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue, double vision and an inability to swallow. The MGFC provides funds to advance the most promising research into the cause and cure of MG at prestigious universities and medical centers and is the only voluntary health organization in California solely focused on the cause of MG.

To continue the MDRT Foundation’s legacy of support, 2003 MDRT Foundation President Mitchell W. Ostrove, CLU, ChFC, presented a $50,000 grant check to the MGFC at their 39th Annual Founders Dinner and Dance. These monies from the MDRT Foundation’s Worldwide Grant program will provide continued support for Hope for Children with Congenital MG, a project focusing on finding improved treatments and, hopefully, a cure through scientific laboratory studies.

This grant was sponsored by 43-year MDRT member and Excalibur Knight, John W. Allen, CLU, ChFC, of Murrieta, California. Allen and his wife, Eleanor, a 29-year MDRT member and also an Excalibur Knight, have been involved with the MGFC for more than 20 years. In 1997, Allen was named Humanitarian of the Year by the MGFC for his leadership both as a contributor and as a volunteer. Each year, Allen sponsors a golf tournament for his clients, with the proceeds going to the MGFC.

To find out how you, too, can sponsor a grant for an organization you care about, go to: www.mdrtfoundation.org/grants/grantprograms.html.