Photo Flash: Renée Elise Goldsberry Performs at AFTD Hope Rising Benefit

The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) held its annual Hope Rising Benefit on Wednesday night. The benefit drew its highest attendance since the first gala in 2016, and raised more than $1.9MM to fuel AFTD's mission of advancing FTD research and improving quality of life for all affected by this disease.

Frontotemporal degeneration causes irreversible changes to a person's language, movement, behavior and/or personality, while leaving long-term memory generally intact. Currently there are no approved treatments for FTD, which affects more than 60,000 in the United States.

The evening closed with a performance by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony-award winning actress from the original cast of HAMILTON. Ms. Goldsberry began with a medley of "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever"/"I Can See Clearly Now," followed by "Satisfied" from HAMILTON. Ms. Goldsberry closed out her performance by singing "If You Knew Susie," dedicated to the memory of Susan Newhouse. Event chair Donald Newhouse joined Ms. Goldsberry onstage and sang along to one of his favorite songs.

Photo Credit: Getty Images