PHOTOS: Kenny Loggins Benefit Concert for DART

By Leslie Yager

Grammy Award winner Kenny Loggins performed at the Dana’s Angels Research Trust (DART) annual Gala Benefit Concert on Friday, May 30 at Stamford’s Palace Theatre.

The Gala featured an elegant cocktail reception, silent and live auctions that were hosted by Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford and introduced by WCBS-Radio’s Scott Shannon.

The concert was a benefit for DART, short for Dana’s Angels Research Trust, the non-profit that raises funds for medical research into Niemann-Pick type C disease.

IMG_9529 The Marella Family with Kenny Loggins- photo credit Cara Gilbride

The Marella Family with Kenny Loggins. Left to Right: Phil Marella, Andrew Marella, Andea Marella, Kenny Loggins and Philip Marella. Credit: Cara Gilbride

Dana Marella died of complications resulting from Niemann-Pick type C disease in July, 2013. She was just days shy from her 20th birthday and Friday’s Gala was a tribute to her life.

DART formed by Phil and Andrea Marella after their daughter Dana displayed or had visual and learning difficulties around the age of five. After the Marellas searched for several years for answers, Dana was diagnosed in 2002 with Niemann-Pick type C, a childhood disease for which there is no proven treatment or cure. In 2004, at the age of 5, Dana’s brother Andrew, the Marella’s youngest of four children, was also diagnosed with the disease.