This year, during PBA's Beauty Week in Las Vegas, City of Hope honored President & CEO of OPI Products Inc. / Aloxxi International George Schaeffer as the recipient of the 2012 Spirit of Life Award.

In a grand celebration that included a wedding celebration, a kick off by Al Green and a closer by Aretha Franklin, Schaeffer received the award July 21 at the annual Spirit of Life Award Dinner, honored by hundreds of his colleagues at the gala, who recognized him for his outstanding philanthropic and business contributions.

Schaeffer, who considers a lifetime of philanthropy his greatest accomplishment, established the George W. Schaeffer Endowment for Innovation in Diabetes Research for City of Hope. The endowment will provide resources in perpetuity for scientists at City of Hope as they continue to transform the understanding of and treatment for this difficult disease.

The 2012 City of Hope Spirit of Life dinner and gala is the year-long culmination of planning going toward the cure and treatment of diabetes. So far, the total raised is $2.7 million, and Schaeffer is matching all funds up to $2.5 million. In other words... $5 million+ is being donated to City of Hope.

“I have been blessed with success in my lifetime,” says Schaeffer, “but I consider my biggest achievement is having the ability to give back to others in need. I have been a supporter of City of Hope and its humanitarian efforts for many years.”

Schaeffer added, “While I am extremely honored to receive this award, I am even more excited about the opportunity to raise money for a cause dear to my heart: diabetes research.”

VIDEOS: THE INDUSTRY SPEAKS OUT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING BACK