VCU Medical Center Hosts Shining Knight Gala

By Eric Peters

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center will host the fifth annual Shining Knight Gala, an event to raise funds for injury and violence prevention and to honor those who protect and save lives in Central Virginia.

The event will take place Saturday, March 16, at the Jefferson Hotel, 101 W. Franklin St., beginning with a reception at 6 p.m. and a dinner and awards program to follow at 6:45 p.m.

This year’s honorary chairs are Rosemary Trible, founder of Fear 2 Freedom, and Wilhelm Zuelzer, M.D., professor in the VCU Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

A multimedia presentation of the Tony Carr story will highlight the work of the Central Virginia Trauma System and the VCU Medical Center’s trauma and injury and violence prevention programs. Carr suffered extensive burns on approximately 60 percent of his body when the twin-engine aircraft he was piloting crashed into a ball of fire at the Richmond International Airport on April 11, 2011. After more than 25 surgeries, Carr has made an amazing recovery. Twenty-five care providers will be given the Order of the Shining Knight for their contribution to Carr’s survival.

The VCU Medical Center had 2,548 admissions in 2012 and is one of only two nationally recognized Level I trauma centers in Virginia. Patients are admitted into the trauma center for a variety of reasons that include vehicle crashes, falls, burns and unintentional injuries.