POMONA, Calif. (August 27, 2015) – Casa Colina Foundation will host “An Evening in Casablanca” on Friday, September 11, 2015 at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont,
CA. Proceeds from the event will benefit Casa Colina Children’s
Services, which provides physical rehabilitation services for children
in our community with acquired and developmental disabilities, including
autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and more.
Incorporating many themes from the beloved 1940s celluloid classic,
An Evening in Casablanca will be a night of wonderful food, casino gambling, auctions, and live
entertainment.
Special honoree and guest speaker at this year’s event is Dr. Temple
Grandin, a strong advocate for children, adolescents and adults on the
autism spectrum. Temple’s achievements are remarkable because she
was diagnosed with autism as a child. At age two she had no speech and
all the signs of severe autism. Many hours of speech therapy, and intensive
teaching enabled Temple to learn to speak. Mentoring by her high school
science teacher and aunt motivated Temple to pursue a career as a scientist
and livestock equipment designer. In addition to earning her B.A., M.S.
and Ph.D., Temple has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates
from Carnegie Mellon University and Duke University. An award-winning
author, some of her popular books are
Thinking in Pictures, Emergence Labeled Autistic, The Way I See It, and
The
Autistic Brain. HBO produced a movie about Temple’s early life and career which
received seven Emmy awards, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. She was
also honored in
Time magazine’s 2010 “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.”
Dr. Grandin lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her
experiences with autism and will be presented with the Casa Colina Ambassador
of the Children Award.
“We are pleased to honor Dr. Temple Grandin. She has been a strong
advocate for children, adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum and
has been the conscience and voice for this disorder for many years, stated
Casa Colina’s Margaret Bauman, M.D., pediatric neurologist and medical
director of Casa Colina Children’s Services. “She has brought
hope and encouragement to many, and through her strong advocacy, has helped
the world to appreciate the gifts and talents of autistic persons and
to view them through more educated eyes. She epitomizes the spirit of
this award.”
Casa Colina Foundation provides over $150,000 in treatment and visit subsidies
each year to Children’s Services. Proceeds from
An Evening in Casablanca will go directly to supporting this cause. Individual tickets are $150
and sponsorship packages are available. For information, please call 909/596-7733,
ext. 2223 or visit
www.casacolina.org/casablanca.
About Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare
Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare was founded in 1936 in
Chino, Calif., under the leadership of Frances Eleanor "Mother"
Smith and other community leaders and physicians to provide rehabilitative
care to children with polio. In the early 1950s, when polio was at epidemic
proportions, a plan was developed to build a new hospital in nearby Pomona,
Calif. In 1959, the new hospital was completed, and Casa Colina expanded
its medical and physical rehabilitation services to concentrate on treating
people of all ages and disabilities resulting from neurological and/or
orthopedic conditions. In recent years, Casa Colina has renovated its
entire 20-acre Pomona campus to build a continuum of rehabilitative care
unmatched in the Western United States. This includes a state-of-the-art
acute rehabilitation hospital, outpatient center, post-acute residential
rehabilitation center, children's services, adult day health care,
specialized physician clinics, diagnostic imaging, ambulatory surgery
center, outdoor recreation program, and other highly specialized services.
The new Casa Colina Medical Office Building opened on the campus in June
2013, and construction of a 31-bed medical/surgical hospital addition
is currently underway with a scheduled opening late 2015. For more information,
please visit
www.casacolina.org.
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CONTACT:
Stephanie Bradhurst
Director of Communications, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare
909/596-7733, Ext. 2227,
SBradhurst@casacolina.org