Friday, July 13, 2012

Cable TV pioneer Dr. John C. Malone makes impactful donation to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation


from the Global Down Syndrome Foundation:

Cable TV pioneer and Chairman of Liberty Media Corporation, Dr. John C. Malone, announced a $100,000 gift to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation to benefit the organization’s marquee annual benefit, the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show.

The fundraiser will be held at the Sheraton Downtown Denver on Saturday, October 13, 2012 with celebrity and self-advocates such as dancer DeOndra Dixon, actor Luke Zimmerman, Music Icon Quincy Jones and Academy and Grammy Award-winner Jamie Foxx.

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s annual marquee event is equal part awareness-building and fundraising for the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show is the largest single fundraiser for Down syndrome in the United States. At the heart of the event is the reality that Down syndrome is the least-funded genetic condition by the National Institutes of Health. 

After welcoming a granddaughter with Down syndrome into his family, John J. Sie, another cable TV pioneer who worked for Dr. Malone for more than 20 years, helped to launch the Crnic Institute and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

Dr. Malone commended his longtime friend and colleague, John J. Sie, for his approach to stimulating research and medical care benefitting people with Down syndrome. “I’ve known Johnny for a long time now. When he sets his mind to something he will get it done,” said Dr. Malone. “That’s good news for people with Down syndrome and their families – the research Johnny is underwriting is exciting and promising. I’m glad I can help.”

“This gift means a great deal to me, my family and of course the millions of people with Down syndrome who deserve more research funding and better medical care,” said John J. Sie, board member of the Crnic Institute. “We so appreciate John and Leslie’s generosity and friendship.”

Dr. Malone is Chairman of Liberty Media Corporation, a position he has held since 1990. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Liberty Global, Inc. (LGI), a position he has held since June, 2005. From 1996 to March 1999 when Tele-Communications, Inc., (TCI) merged with AT&T Corp., Dr. Malone was also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TCI. Previously, from 1973 to 1996, Dr. Malone served as President and CEO of TCI. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CATO Institute, Expedia, Inc., Discovery Communications, Inc., and SiriusXM. Additionally, Dr. Malone is Chairman Emeritus of the Board for Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. as well as Director or similar capacity for various family businesses, Trusts or Foundations.

John J. Sie is founder and former Chairman of Starz Entertainment Group LLC. Founded in 1991, the Colorado-based company is owned by Liberty Media Corporation and is the parent of premium movie networks, including Starz and Encore.  Sie is considered by many to be the father of digital television – in 1989 he submitted the very first white paper on digital compression to Congress and the FCC that would dramatically change the landscape of television in the United States and the world. In 2005, Sie retired and with his wife Anna established the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation. The Foundation supports the sharing of knowledge amongst peoples and cultures throughout the global community, with emphasis on Down syndrome, education, media, business, and technology.

About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. It partners both locally and globally to provide life-changing research and medical care for individuals with Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is made possible by the generous support of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, and relies on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education, awareness and government advocacy. It is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.

About the Global Down Syndrome FoundationThe Global Down Syndrome Foundation is a public non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy.  Formally established in 2009, the Foundation’s primary focus is to support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first academic home in the US committed to research and medical care for people with the condition. Fundraising and government advocacy that corrects the alarming disparity of national funding for people with Down syndrome is a major short-term goal. The Foundation organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show - the single largest annual fundraiser benefitting people with Down syndrome. Programmatically the Foundation organizes and funds many programs and conferences including the Dare to Play Football and Cheer Camps, Global Down Syndrome Educational Series, and Global Down Syndrome Multi-Language Resource Project. The Foundation is an inclusive organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.

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