Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 6:00 PM

48 Wall Street Events
48 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005

Over the last 25 years, Wings Over Wall Street has raised over $13.4 million to fund critical research for ALS. Each year, the Wings committee enlists the help of corporate sponsors and individual donors to assist in the major undertaking to bring awareness to this tragic illness and to fund various ALS research initiatives.

This event began as the vision of a newly diagnosed ALS patient in late 2000. Toni Diamond, a United Airlines flight attendant, was diagnosed with ALS in September 2000. Rather than give up hope and live out her remaining life in utter despair, she decided to live and fight the disease that was soon to take away all her freedom. Hoping to help in some small way, she told her caregiver-husband, Warren Schiffer, also a United Airlines flight attendant, that she wanted to find a way to raise funds for ALS research to help find treatments and a cure.

Along the way, another recently diagnosed ALS patient, Michael Beier, Director of Equity Trading at Credit Suisse First Boston, heard about Wings and joined the effort by obtaining sponsorships from the Wall Street community at a feverish pace. For his efforts, Mike was named a co-chair of the event and Wings Over Wall Street was born.

2026 Honorees

Spirit Award

The Spirit Award is presented to a person who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to eradicating ALS through raising awareness, advocating for funding, and promoting research for a cure. Tim Green, former Syracuse University football standout and retired defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons, bestselling author, attorney at Barclay Damon LLP, podcaster, and nationally recognized broadcaster, will be honored with the 2026 Spirit Award. Diagnosed with ALS in 2018, Green has inspired millions through his resilience, transparency, and advocacy, using his platform to elevate awareness and call for urgency in funding research. 

Diamond Award

At the 2026 Wings Over Wall Street event, the Muscular Dystrophy Association is honored to recognize Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc, as the recipient of the Diamond Award. Named in honor of Wings founder Toni Diamond, the Diamond Award is presented to a scientific leader whose work is dedicated to the eradication of ALS.

Dr. Cudkowicz is Director of the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, Executive Director of the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, and the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. A pioneer in ALS research and care, she is a founder of the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) and a driving force behind innovations that have accelerated treatment development, including the first antisense oligonucleotide therapy for SOD1 ALS, adaptive trial designs, and the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial. Her leadership continues to transform the ALS research landscape and bring hope to individuals and families living with this disease.

Beier Award

At the 2026 Wings Over Wall Street event, the Muscular Dystrophy Association is proud to honor IEX Exchange as the recipient of the Beier Award. A national securities exchange dedicated to client performance, IEX is widely respected for delivering superior execution quality through innovative technology, thoughtful design, and principled advocacy for transparency in market structure.

Over the years, IEX has contributed more than $300,000, fueling truly transformative progress in ALS research. This generosity has helped advance 11 clinical research projects, 15 ALS causation studies, 8 novel disease models, the identification of 3 ALS risk factors, 7 biomarker breakthroughs, and 4 advances in treatments and care. Together, these efforts continue to drive the momentum needed to improve outcomes for individuals and families living with ALS and move us closer to a cure.

Hosted by Bill Ritter, ABC7 Eyewitness News Anchor