2025 ESSEY AWARD HONOREES
2025 Essey Commitment to Care Award Honorees Patricia Schimbor, Esq, and Susan Morris
Patricia (Patty) has served as a volunteer leader for the organization for over a decade, in honor and memory of both her husband, Marc, and her law partner, Jim Barber. Patty is currently serving her final year as ALS Network Board Chair. She is credited with helping to steer our organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, and during that uncertain period, the ALS Network's robust care services program not only continued, but expanded to meet the needs of the ALS community. Additionally, she guided our organization, one of the largest ALS organizations in the country, through a successful board approved transition from being a chartered member of the ALS Association to a fully autonomous, mission-driven, community-centric.
In memory of her husband, Dr. Mark Morris, Susan (Sue) Morris has served in volunteer leadership roles for the organization for over a decade. As former chair of this event, Champions for Cures and Care, the Fund Development Committee, the Care Services Committee, and our Board of Directors, and as current co-chair of our Major Gifts Committee and Vice Chair of the Board, Sue has focused on the importance of advancing our mission priorities, with a special emphasis on care for people living with ALS, and their caregivers. As such, Sue and her children, established the Morris Family Caregiver Initiative over five years ago. From Hawaii to Washington, D.C., Sue has championed access to care for the entire ALS community.
These extraordinary women, each a former family caregiver with their own ALS story, have played an instrumental role in leading the charge to improve care for those living with ALS and their loved ones.
2025 Essey Spotlight Award Honorees Kitt Wakeley & the Producers of the Impossible Dream album
Kitt Wakeley, David Das & the Producers of the Grammy Award-nominated album, Impossible Dream, will be honored for their extraordinary effort to raise ALS awareness through the Impossible Dream album. The list of esteemed honorees includes the following exceptional team of music industry professionals: Grammy Award winner Kitt Wakeley (pictured left), David Das (pictured right), Jonathan Estabrooks, Sydney Anderson, Patrick Conlon, Christina Giacona, Tre Nagella, Davide Reitzas, and Brian Vibberts.
Our 2024 Essey Spotlight Award Honoree, Aaron Lazar, also a producer on the album, will present this year's award, with Kitt Wakeley and David Das accepting on behalf of the team. A portion of the sales proceeds of Impossible Dream benefit the ALS Network's mission priorities related to ALS care, research and advocacy.
We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in this artistic collaboration for leveraging their time, talent, and resources to raise ALS awareness and funds around the globe, which embodies the spirit of The Essey Spotlight Award.