Disability Rights Legal Center

DRLC's Inaugural Franklin D. Roosevelt Annual Dinner

On Thursday, November 17, 2011, close to five hundred friends and supporters celebrated the Disability Rights Legal Center's inaugural Franklin D. Roosevelt Dinner at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Francine R. Kaufman, M.D., was presented with the Charles D. Siegal President's Award for her advocacy for children and adults with diabetes so that they fully participate in school, work and play. Dr. Kaufman serves as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Global Medical, Clinical & Health Affairs at Medtronic Diabetes, and is a physician at the Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "We will continue to fight on until these children have every right that they are entitled to have," Kaufman said.  Jack Pettker, co-chair of the board of directors of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, presented the award to Dr. Kaufman.Click here to watch Dr. Kaufman's speech on YouTube

Singer and songwriter Nikki Lang played her hit song, Greek, and then presented the Disability Rights in Entertainment, Media and the Arts Award to Nick Jonas. "From the time I was diagnosed, I wanted to make sure that I looked upon diabetes as a positive thing, and as a way for me to speak to other young people about their diabetes and encourage and inspire them. I've been given a platform to be able to speak, and it's been one that I've been blessed to speak on," Jonas said.  "I want to encourage all of you to please go and do what you can, because we need it, we really do, we need the funds for research, we need to raise awareness, and most of all, we need the person who lives next to you with diabetes, or any disability for that matter, to be encouraged, because it is a struggle day to day." Click here to watch Jonas' full speech on our YouTube site.

Craig Robinson accepted the Corporate Diversity Award on behalf of NBCUniversal. "We have always been mindful that we need to reflect the real world on screen, behind the camera, and within our organization," Robinson said. "Diversity and inclusion are high on NBCUniversal's agenda and it's gratifying and humbling to see our ongoing efforts acknowledged with such an award tonight."    

Ford Roosevelt, the grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and social justice activist Eleanor Roosevelt, spoke on his grandfather's role in the history of disability rights and how his family was honored to lend their name to the DRLC's annual dinner. "I'm honored to be part of the transition to this name." Click here to watch Ford Roosevelt's speech on YouTube

We want to thank the talented Michael Bonnabel, who performed an except from his play "The Good Boy" about the struggles and normalcy of living as a hearing child of deaf parents, as well as the amazing Nikki Lang. In addition, a very special thanks to Jennifer Bjorklund of NBC4 for her talent as host of the FDR Dinner.  

If you would like to make a donation on behalf of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Dinner, please click on the Buy Tickets Online button below.

View Past Gala Award Recipients