Halston & Rudetsky Host Starry 'BROADWAY FOR MEDICINE II' Gala 3/9

The National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction (NFFR) is proud to present Broadway for Medicine II featuring funny-lady Julie Halston (Hairspray, Sex and the City) and "Professor of all things Broadway," Sirius/XM Satellite Radio host Seth Rudetsky along with some very exciting special guests. The event will take place on Monday, March 9, 2009 at Cipriani 42nd Street. The evening begins at 6:30 PM.

Single benefit tickets start at $1,000. Tables start at $10,000. Call 212.263.6656 or email events@nffr.org.

Hosted by Broadway favorite Halston, the entertainment portion of this gala benefit evening will showcase Rudetsky's special brand of "Broadway Deconstruction" in which he hilariously demonstrates just what is brilliant about Broadway and why it can sometimes be a splitting headache! Among those slated to join Halston and Rudetsky onstage are Norm Lewis (The Little Mermaid), Andréa Burns (In the Heights), Lillias White (How To Success..., The Life), and the legendary Andrea McArdle (Annie). Peter Flynn directs the evening. Carl Andress is the producer for the NFFR.

The benefit chaired by John McDaniel and Fiorenza Scholey Cohen will begin at 6:30pm at Cipriani 42nd Street (110 East 42nd St. between Lexington and Park Avenues) with a cocktail hour, followed by entertainment, dinner and a unique live auction which will raise funds for specific medical procedures hosted by Sotheby's Jamie Niven. The NFFR is proud to honor John R. Gordon for 25 years of unwavering dedication to children with craniofacial differences.

Since its inception in 1951, the mission of the NFFR has been to enable children with craniofacial deformities to receive the surgery they need in order to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. In 1955, the NFFR founded the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (IRPS) at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, which has become one of the most innovative craniofacial centers in the world for research, education and patient care. Over 2,000 children are treated at the IRPS every year, regardless of the severity of their condition or their families' ability to afford medical care. This is achieved both through NFFR funding and through the generosity of the Institute doctors, who provide free appointments, surgeries and follow-up treatment.

More than 55,000 patients have been treated in the past 50 years. www.nffr.org

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski