“Get on your feet, stand up and take some action.”

Gloria Estefan first sang these lyrics with the Miami Sound Machine in the smash hit, “Get on Your Feet,” in 1989—one year before she broke her back in a tragic tour bus accident. Thankfully Estefan, A.B. ’78, today is not only on her feet, she and husband Emilio are taking action.

Longtime supporters of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the Miller School of Medicine, they recently announced a $1 million gift to help fast-track promising research findings into human clinical trials. Their generosity also prompted gifts from three additional Miami Project supporters: $1 million from UM trustee Paul DiMare and wife Swanee, $500,000 from Pennie and Gary Abramson, and $500,000 from Maddy and Jim Berlin.

“Having experienced paralysis firsthand 16 years ago, I feel especially fortunate to have had a positive outcome despite a very negative prognosis,” Estefan said at a press conference announcing the gift. “I vowed that I would do whatever was in my power to assist those already on their way to finding a cure.”

In addition to her support through the Gloria Estefan Foundation, the five-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and children’s book author serves on the Board of Directors of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the national fundraising arm of The Miami Project. As capital campaign director from 1995 to 2000, Estefan was instrumental in raising $40 million to build the Lois Pope LIFE Center, including a $250,000 personal contribution to jump-start the effort.