GH’s Nancy Lee Grahn Hosts a Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser!
Back in September, GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) introduced her social media followers to the plight of her friend Michelle Strojny, who is battling ALS. At the time, Strojny was gearing up to host her annual fundraiser for ALS research and care. And now, six months later, Grahn is preparing to host a fundraiser of her own to support the charity ALS One!
The Daytime Unites To Help End ALS event will take place on Saturday, May 4, at the Embassy Suites hotel in Glendale, CA. “This is going to be a really classy event, where all monies are going to ALS,” Grahn told Soap Opera Digest, adding that she’s invited her daytime colleagues from not only GH but THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, and THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS as well. “It’s crossing over to all the soaps, so we have big players from all the soaps coming.” (You can see the list of daytime stars scheduled to attend here.)
The day-long event will include an afternoon meet-and-greet, Q&A session, and silent and live auctions. Then, later that evening, attendees will enjoy a festive cocktail party and concert performances by several daytime actors and music from East Bay Soul. “It should be a really fun event,” Grahn shared. “We need to sell lots of tickets and every penny is a tax deduction and will go to ALS.”
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS breaks down the body’s nerve cells, which in turn progressively weakens muscles and impacts the patient’s physical capabilities. ALS is a big part of Grahn’s work life, as Alexis’ friend, Gregory, is battling the disease on the soap. But it was Grahn’s real-life friendship with Strojny that inspired her to put together the fundraiser.
“She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while,” Grahn said of Strojny. “And there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable — nothing is. It’s underfunded.”
Strojny works tirelessly to raise money and awareness for ALS research and care. After participating in her friend’s charity event last year, Grahn was inspired to organize one herself. “I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity,’” Grahn shared. “Collectively, we have this amazing community, and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause. It’s such an easy thing for us to do, and we could potentially really make a difference. I thought, ‘We should gather together, have a fun day and night, and raise money!’”
There are several different ticket tiers for the Daytime Unites event, which you can view here. (You can also make a one-time donation if you can’t attend the event.) And if all goes well, Grahn plans to make this fundraiser the first of many! “It’s my hope that we do it again next year for another meaningful, underfunded cause,” she concluded.
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