Keep Memory Alive and City of Las Vegas to Honor
Robin Leach with Street Dedication
Las Vegas notables join ceremony celebrating longtime friend of Keep Memory Alive and supporter of Cleveland
Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to kick off
Power of Love® gala festivities
A portion of Clark Avenue that runs past Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health will be renamed to Robin Leach Lane to honor the life and legacy of the veteran journalist, television personality, Las Vegas enthusiast and longtime supporter of Keep Memory Alive, the fundraising entity for the center.
A dear friend of Camille and Larry Ruvo, co-founders and chairpersons of Keep Memory Alive, Leach attended the original Keep Memory Alive fundraising dinner more than 20 years ago at Spago, helping it to evolve into the now signature Las Vegas philanthropic event, the annual Power of Love® gala.
Leach is survived by his three sons who issued a statement about the street dedication saying, “The beautiful show of community love with this everlasting memorial of Robin Leach Lane means so much to the Leach family. Robin is looking down with humility and raising a glass of champagne in appreciation of this honored dedication. He couldn’t have hand picked a finer location for his namesake lane. As a play on one of the famous Beatles’ songs, ‘Robin Leach Lane is in my ears and in my eyes and all the people that come and go stop and say hello.’ Thank you to everyone who made this special tribute possible. Much love from the Leach family.”
An avid advocate for Keep Memory Alive, Leach donated his time, talent and iconic voice to support its mission to fund the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which offers research, care and resources for patients and their caregivers in the fight against cognitive diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, multiple system atrophy, frontotemporal dementia and related disorders, multiple sclerosis and more.
“Robin was truly one-of-a-kind and we are forever grateful for his support of Keep Memory Alive and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health,” said Mr. Ruvo. “It is an honor to dedicate a piece of Las Vegas’ burgeoning downtown to Robin and his continuing legacy within the community and beyond.”
Notable Las Vegas residents will join Camille and Larry Ruvo, Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear for a dedication ceremony on Friday, March 15 at 4 p.m. Guests in attendance to include President and Chief Executive Officer of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Myron Martin, as well as colleague and close friend of Leach, John Katsilometes, who will emcee the festivities. The celebration takes place the evening before the 23rd annual Power of Love® gala – an event Leach voiced for more than two decades.
“Robin Leach will always be remembered, not only for his larger than life public persona and coverage of our never-ending entertainment and dining options, but also for what he quietly did for our community,” said Mayor Goodman. “The city of Las Vegas and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health are indebted to Robin for his fun-loving spirit and generous efforts.”
“It is appropriate that the street that connects the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and The Smith Center be named for a man who was a great supporter of both institutions,” said Martin. “We miss him dearly.”
Robin Leach. Photo credit Erik Kabik.
About Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health:
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health provides expert diagnosis and treatment for individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases; multiple sclerosis; frontotemporal dementia and related disorders; and multiple system atrophy. The center offers a continuum of care with no-cost opportunities for the community to participate in education and research, including disease prevention studies and clinical trials of promising new medications. An integrated entity, Keep Memory Alive, raises funds exclusively in support of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit clevelandclinic.org/brainhealth and keepmemoryalive.org.
About Keep Memory Alive:
Keep Memory Alive, whose mission is to provide enhanced treatment and ultimately cures for patients and their families suffering from neurocognitive disorders, raises awareness and funds in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. By supporting Keep Memory Alive and its fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and memory disorders of all kinds, we can ensure progress towards better treatments and ultimately cures will occur in Las Vegas. For additional information, call (702) 263-9797 or visit keepmemoryalive.org.