Dancing With The Stars Champion J.R. Martinez to Appear at National Rehabilitation Hospital Gala Victory Awards®, Thursday, Dec. 1

Additional presenters/performers include –  Grammy Award winning Singer Yolanda Adams, Composer Mark O'Connor, attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., opera star Alvy Powell & Sec. of Labor Hilda Solis

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dancing With The Stars' and All My Children star J.R. Martinez will be among the celebrities scheduled to appear at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) 25th Anniversary Gala Victory Awards®, Thursday, December 1, 2011, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111128/DC13062)

Other presenters scheduled to appear include: Grammy and Dove Award winning singer Yolanda Adams; two-time Grammy and seven-time Country Music Award (CMA) musician, composer and violinist Mark O'Connor who has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, famed defense attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., who is the uncle of one of this year's honorees Kevin Pearce and whose father was Secretary of State under former President Jimmy Carter, Alvy Powell, renowned opera star; and U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

This year's honorees include: Robert David Hall, star of the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Mickey Gilley, country music legend; Kevin Pearce, U.S. snowboarding champion; Marquita Lister, opera star; and Edward Eckenhoff, the founder of NRH.

A look at this year's recipients:

Edward A. Eckenhoff – As the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of NRH, Ed Eckenhoff is a pioneering health care administrator and visionary. While in college, he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed – a personal experience that fueled his desire to improve health care for all persons with disabilities. Today, Mr. Eckenhoff continues to serve as President Emeritus, helping NRH prepare for the future.

Mickey Gilley – Legendary country music singer featured in the hit 1978 film Urban Cowboy. Mr. Gilley has racked up 17 number one hits, earned several Gold Records and a Grammy. The Mississippi native, whose cousin is singer Jerry Lee Lewis, once worked construction jobs by day and sang at night to support himself before his career took off. Mr. Gilley suffered paralysis from an accidental fall in 2009 while helping a friend move some furniture. After some intensive physical therapy, Mr. Gilley is back on stage singing again.

Robert David Hall – Plays the chief medical examiner 'Dr. Albert Robbins' on CBS-TV's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Mr. Hall is a double leg amputee following a car accident in 1978, in which a tractor trailer crushed his car. His gas tank also exploded, causing burns over 65% of his body. A devoted community activist, Mr. Hall is one of the most prominent disabled actors working today. One of his proudest moments came last summer, when he introduced President Obama on the White House lawn during a ceremony marking the 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization on Disability and is National Chairman of the Performers with Disabilities Caucus for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Actors' EQUITY. Many organizations have acknowledged Mr. Hall's fine work on behalf of those with disabilities. In addition to his acting career, he tours the nation speaking to various groups.

Marquita Lister – International opera sensation who has earned worldwide critical praise for the past two decades, during which time she has garnered kudos from critics and colleagues alike, while audiences the world over relish her interpretive dramatic capabilities in each operatic role. Ms. Lister's repertoire includes the works of Verdi, Puccini, Gershwin and Strauss, and she has been heard in the most prestigious opera houses around the world. Her on-stage partners have included Placido Domingo, among others. Ms. Lister has appeared in television productions with the Boston Pops and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as well as on PBS in the broadcast, Live from Lincoln Center. A former NRH patient, Ms. Lister came to the hospital in 2006 for rehabilitation after she became critically ill with inflammation of the lungs and muscles. She fought hard and has made a remarkable recovery, with her beautiful singing voice unaffected. Ms. Lister has since returned to the stage, delighting audiences wherever she goes.

Kevin Pearce – Highly accomplished U.S. Snowboarder and four-time Winter X Games Medalist.  Kevin catapulted onto the professional snowboarding stage in 2005 at age 18, quickly becoming the athlete to watch in the ever-evolving sport. Kevin was deemed TTR (Ticket to Ride) Champion at the end of the 2008 season. In the 2009 Winter X Games, Kevin brought home the Silver Medal for Superpipe, making him a front-runner to win Gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The 23-year-old world champion snowboarder and U.S. Olympic hopeful sustained a traumatic brain injury when he crashed during a training run in Park City, Utah in late 2009. Kevin has made great strides in his recovery and is now analyzing snowboarding from the broadcast booth and hopes to be back on snow this winter.

The Victory Awards® were created by NRH in 1986 to celebrate the Victory of the Human Spirit. This nationally recognized, one-of-a-kind award honors individuals who best exemplify exceptional strength and courage in the face of physical adversity. Over the past 25 years, NRH has recognized celebrities and former patients from all walks of life with this prestigious award.

Some of the previous recipients include: Sen. Bob Dole, one of the first Victory Award® recipients; Edward M. 'Ted' Kennedy, Jr.; James Brady; Johnny Cash; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Julio Iglesias; Gloria Estefan; former NFL player Mike Utley; Sam Donaldson; Kirk Douglas; Stevie Wonder; and ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff.

To learn more about the NRH Victory Awards® go to: http://www.nrhrehab.org/gala.

National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) is a private, not-for-profit facility with 137 beds located in Northwest Washington, D.C. NRH's services are designed specifically for the rehabilitation of individuals with disabling injuries and illnesses such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and disease, arthritis, amputations, post-polio syndrome, chronic pain, back and neck pain, occupational injuries, cancer and cardiac disease that require medical rehabilitation, and other neurological and orthopedic conditions. Annually, NRH admits approximately 2,200 inpatients and provides nearly 350,000 ambulatory visits at 34 NRH Regional Rehab outpatient sites located in Washington, D.C., Suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. We treat patients from the age of 6 and up and our pediatric unit — the National Center for Children's Rehabilitation at NRH — is a joint service of NRH and Children's National Medical Center.

NRH has appeared on the "Best Hospitals" list in U.S. News & World Report for 17 consecutive years and is currently ranked among the top hospitals for medical rehabilitation in America. NRH is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). NRH has CARF accredited specialty programs for Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, and Stroke. In addition, NRH's Spinal Cord Injury Program has been designated one of only 14 Model SCI Systems of Care in the country by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the Department of Education. NRH is a proud member of MedStar Health., parent company to Franklin Square Hospital, Georgetown University Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Harbor Hospital, Montgomery General Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, Union Memorial Hospital, Washington Hospital Center and the MedStar Visiting Nurse Association. For more on NRH, log on to nrhrehab.org.   

SOURCE National Rehabilitation Hospital