FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2025 

CURE Epilepsy to Host Night of Discovery, Saturday, September 20, Honoring Senator Dick Durbin with Founders Award

[Chicago, IL] — CURE Epilepsy, the largest nongovernmental funder of epilepsy research, will hold its 27th annual Chicago fundraising event, Night of Discovery, Saturday, September 20 at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park. 

The event will convene community leaders, donors, and advocates for an evening of celebration and connection to raise critical funds for innovative epilepsy research.  

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Founders Award to Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for his unwavering support of scientific research and his embodiment of the spirit of our founding members.   

Over his long and celebrated career of public service, Senator Durbin has been a tireless champion for epilepsy research and biomedical research more broadly. In partnership with Susan Axelrod and CURE Epilepsy leadership, he advocated for the 2015 establishment of the Epilepsy Research Program within the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP); the Epilepsy Research Program has since invested almost $100 million to study the causes and prevention of post-traumatic epilepsy. More recently, Senator Durbin has championed the American Cures Act, which would guarantee steady, predictable funding for breakthrough research at America’s top four biomedical research agencies. As a key leader behind past increases to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget, he has been an outspoken critic of the drastic cuts to important epilepsy research funding sources this year. 

“Senator Durbin exemplifies the values upon which our organization was founded,” said Beth Lewin Dean, CURE Epilepsy CEO. “We are proud to recognize his extraordinary contributions and celebrate the progress we have made together toward finding a cure for epilepsy.” 

The program will also feature remarks from four-time CURE Epilepsy grant awardee Dr. Avtar Roopra, Professor of Neuroscience at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Retired Marine Corps Captain Jack Somers. 

Platinum event sponsors include the Cafaro-Livingston Charitable Trust and GCM Grosvenor. Diamond sponsors are Lisa and Mike Cotton, Ken Griffin, and The Ann G. and James B. Ritchey Foundation.  

Event Details 

• What: CURE Epilepsy’s Night of Discovery 

• When: Saturday, September 20, 2025, 5:30 PM 

• Where: Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, 200 N Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60601 

• Why: To raise funds for epilepsy research and honor Senator Dick Durbin 

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at CUREepilepsy.org/NightOfDiscovery.  

About CURE Epilepsy  

CURE Epilepsy is a parent-founded, research-focused nonprofit committed to finding a cure for epilepsy. Epilepsy is a complex, often debilitating neurological disorder that will affect 1 in 26 Americans in their lifetime. Since 1998, we have invested in cutting-edge research and filled critical funding gaps in foundational science to expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of epilepsy and help us discover a cure. We have raised more than $100 million and funded over 300 epilepsy research projects — more than any other non-governmental organization in the United States. Working alongside our community of researchers and clinicians, we’ve invested in initiatives which have led to breakthroughs in the genetic diagnosis of epilepsy, potential treatments for infantile spasms, and a greater understanding of how we can prevent sudden death in epilepsy, among other advances. Research is our greatest hope of finding a cure and each discovery brings us closer to achieving freedom from seizures and medication side effects for people living with epilepsy. Join us as we lead the search for a cure.

Learn more at cureepilepsy.org. 

Media Contact:
Dana Vielmetti
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
dana.vielmetti@cureepilepsy.org
312.971.8443