Two-time Emmy® Award  Debbie Matenopoulos Named Master of Ceremonies
at red-carpet Gala in Hollywood to Support The ALS Association Golden West Chapter

June 4, 2014, Los Angeles

Debbie Matenopoulos at Greater New York Chapter Event

OnThursday, June 5, 2014, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter will host “A Night at the Esseys” at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, home to the first Academy Awards ceremony.  The Essey Awards are the Golden West Chapter’s highest honor and are presented annually to esteemed members of the ALS community for their outstanding efforts in research, philanthropy and public awareness.  This year, this prestigious event will be hosted by two-time Emmy® Award nominee, Debbie Matenopoulos, whose work as a journalist and talk show host has spanned more than a decade.

Debbie started out her career on ABC’s The View as the youngest person in daytime history to hold a permanent cohost position on network television. She went on to launch the TV Guide Channel, host the TBS hit series He’s A Lady, write a movie which was purchased by the Oxygen Network, and cohost FOX's Good Day Live. She then joined the E! Network family and began cohosting red carpet events, The Daily 10, and also hosted Fashion Police and Style Network's Instant Beauty Pageant. Debbie then joined CBS appearing on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, where she covered everything from pop culture trends to the latest hard- hitting news. She is currently a cast member on Hallmark's Home & Family.

A long-time friend and supporter of The ALS Association, Debbie is personally committed to raising funds and awareness for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) after losing her father Niko Matenopoulos to the disease in 2012. “My father, Niko Matenopoulos, was the most loving gregarious man I’ve ever known,” Debbie shared. “He was my strength, my heart, my laughter, and my hero. When he was diagnosed with ALS, our lives changed forever. To watch a man so full of life and stronger than ten men deteriorate before our eyes was devastating.”

Debbie has previously devoted her talents to raise awareness about ALS in many media and public events throughout the country.   In addition, she has dedicated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of her new recipe book, “It’s All Greek to Me” which is filled with many of her father’s favorite recipes, to support the mission of The ALS Association.

“My father fought every day and refused to let this debilitating disease break his spirit. He never complained, and he kept a smile on his face, even in his darkest days. My mother and I cared for him until he sadly lost his battle with ALS,”  Debbie expressed. “From that day, I vowed to do whatever I could to bring attention, awareness, and funding to battle this hateful disease.”

“The ALS community is enormously grateful to Debbie Matenopoulos and her family for their efforts in increasing public awareness about Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” said Fred Fisher, President and CEO, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. 

“I am honored to be a strong voice for the people facing this disease who have lost theirs,” Debbie said. “I know that, somewhere, my father is very proud and is still smiling.”

For more information about The ALS Association Golden West Chapter, please visit www.alsagoldenwest.org