City of Hope's National Professional Salon Industry is honored to bestow the Spirit of Life Award to an outstanding industry leader Reuben Carranza, CEO of Wella, the Salon Professional Division of P&G, North America. The National Professional Salon Industry recognizes industry leaders each year for their contributions at the Spirit of Life Award Gala.

A leading research, treatment and education center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, City of Hope will hold their City of Hope 2013 Spirit of Life Award Gala Saturday, July 13, 2013 in the South Seas Ballroom from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas.

This year, City of Hope’s National Professional Salon Industry will honor Reuben Carranza, North American CEO of Wella, the Salon Professional Division of P&G, with its most prestigious philanthropic honor, the 2013 Spirit of Life Award presented annually to an industry leader who has demonstrated outstanding business and altruistic achievement.

Reuben has chosen to direct funds raised during his Spirit of Life campaign toward City of Hope's cutting-edge research in diabetes. Coming from a family ravaged by this chronic disease, Carranza has seen the impact diabetes had on his mother and his aunt, both hairdressers, as they struggled to continue to work behind the chair.

In the U.S. alone, diabetes affects one in 12 people; among both African-Americans and Latinos, the rate increases to one in eight. City of Hope is working to change that dynamic. Building on more than four decades of groundbreaking discoveries, City of Hope's lifesaving research and treatment advances improve the lives of people around the world. Numerous breakthrough treatments are based on technology pioneered by City of Hope researchers, including synthetic human insulin, now used by millions of diabetics every day.

For information about purchasing tickets for the July 13 event, or to make a donation, contact Kathleen P. Talbot at 213-241-7192; kptalbot@coh.org

Learn more about the organization and this year's honoree. www.cityofhope.org

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