About the cause
Event History
The Scleroderma Sprint is the next step in the evolution of a highly regarded event series led by the Kellner Family that raised over $1,400,000 for Scleroderma research in Las Vegas alone. Those events, hosted at the House of Blues 2014, and Brooklyn Bowl in 2016, quickly became some of the most talked-about philanthropic events of the year. The Scleroderma Sprint is expected to raise the bar again with the most impressive charitable event ever seen in Las Vegas.
About Scleroderma
Scleroderma is an autoimmune, rheumatic, and chronic disease that affects the body by hardening connective tissue. (“Connective tissue” is widespread. It adds strength to organs and other parts of the body.) Connective tissue is made of many kinds of proteins. Among them is collagen of the skin. Scleroderma literally means hard skin. Scleroderma is classified as an autoimmune disease. This means that a person’s immune system works against itself. The normal immune system protects the body by fighting off foreign invaders such as viruses and infections. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakes a person’s own tissues as foreign invaders and sets up a protective attack that backfires to cause problems. This is the deadliest of all autoimmune conditions.
There is currently no cure for Scleroderma.
Saville Kellner
Co-Chairperson
Saville Kellner has been involved in supporting Scleroderma research for over 10 years. He learned of the disease from a dear friend who lost a loved one, and shortly afterward joined the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Not long after joining the board, in a twist of fate, was himself diagnosed with the disease. Since that time, Kellner has worked tirelessly to support others with Scleroderma and to help find a cure. In his own trials, he found the Scleroderma Center at Johns Hopkins to be the best chance for those with the disease to prolong their life, and wants to help them to accelerate their research so that all those suffering with Scleroderma can find some of the hope that he himself has found.
Kristen Bellamy
Co-Chairperson
Kristen Bellamy began her journey with Scleroderma 22 years ago when her mom was diagnosed with the disease. Through curiosity and her desperate attempt to find a cure for her mother, Kristen and her family were led to the Scleroderma Research Foundation where she and her family began learning and supporting the organization. She was able to highlight and bring awareness to the disease, that so few knew about, through her work as a correspondent on the show, EXTRA. Unfortunately, her mother, Eileen VanDerWende lost her long and hard fought battle with the disease in 2005. Kristen then joined the board of the SRF organization where she served for over 15 years. She truly believes things are progressing and if her Mother got the same diagnosis today she could have been saved.
Zsuzsanna McMahan, M.D., MHS
Supporter & Beneficiary
Dr. Zsuzsanna McMahan is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the primary physician for Scleroderma Sprint Chairperson Saville Kellner helping him, and many others, prolong life with the disease. She is a rheumatologist with specific expertise in the diagnosis and management of scleroderma. Supported by the National Institute of Health and the Rheumatology Research Foundation, she currently focuses 80 percent of her time on conducting clinical and translational research with the following goals: (1) To develop clinical prediction tools to differentiate between patients at high and low risk for severe complications of scleroderma; (2) To identify biomarkers of disease activity to determine the optimal timing of therapies; (3) To identify patients who will optimally benefit from existing therapies; (4) To develop novel targeted therapies to prevent disease complications. Dr. McMahan’s collaborative research also focuses on defining the targets of the autoimmune response in the body that drive this disease. The remainder of her academic time is allocated toward patient care and teaching. Donations from the Scleroderma Sprint will be going toward her life-saving research.
List of Chairs
Culinary Chair
Chef Rick Moonen
FINANCE CHAIR
Ken McBurney
DECOR CO-CHAIRS
Kevin Kraft & Katie Kellner
MARKETING CHAIR
Travis Keys
OPERATIONS CHAIR
Tom Frank
ENTERTAINMENT CHAIR
Robert Reynolds
Partnership/
Sponsorship
Co-Chairs
Hugh Anderson & Kendall Tenney