Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive
From left, Camille Ruvo, Neil Diamond, Katie McNeil and Larry Ruvo attend the 24th annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love Gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 07, 2020.
Monday, Aug. 23, 2021 | 2 a.m.
The Power of Love gala to benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health has long been one of the most high-profile annual charitable events in Southern Nevada, but it’s also been a fixture for years at one of the most prominent entertainment venues on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Grand Garden Arena.
For this year’s 25th edition on October 16, the gala will move to the recently opened Resorts World Las Vegas in a venue that is being built for the event. Tickets are on sale now at keepmemoryalive.org and last month it was announced this year’s honorees will be two legendary musicians who have headlined on the Strip in recent years, Smokey Robinson and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, as well as Genting Berhad Chairman and CEO K.T. Lim, developer of Resorts World.
“As we’re celebrating our 25th year of Power of Love, we wanted to do something big and different,” Keep Memory Alive founder and chairman Larry Ruvo said in a statement. “For the first time we are honoring two acclaimed entertainers [who] have been such dedicated supporters throughout the years, helping to bring awareness to the devastating diseases the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health researches and treats, and we are honored to celebrate them and their illustrious careers.”
Keep Memory Alive is the support organization behind the Ruvo Center, working to raise awareness and funds for the Symphony Park facility and continuing its original mission to provide advanced treatment and ultimately cures for patients and families suffering from neurocognitive disorders. The gala generates the majority of annual funding for the center.
Ruvo said it was only fitting to honor Lim with the Global Community Leadership Award considering Genting’s contributions including the arrival of Resorts World in Las Vegas as well as Lim’s support with Keep Memory Alive. With Resorts World becoming the first new ground-up casino resort to open on the Strip in more than a decade, it’s a natural fit for this anniversary year of the gala.
“Resorts World Las Vegas is introducing a new era of hospitality to the city,” Ruvo said. “Under [Lim’s] guidance, Genting has invested in research and development for cutting-edge technologies, treatments and ways for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, including establishing a dementia day care center in Kuala Lumpur to provide care for patients as well as training and support for caregivers.”
“You won’t want to miss this year. We’re pulling out all the stops so expect big surprises.”
Power of Love will also feature cuisine by celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay, its signature live and silent auctions and more live entertainment. Robinson and Edmonds are expected to perform, too.
