16-YEAR-OLD HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE RAISES OVER $40,000 FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES

5-YEAR CHLA JUNIOR AMBASSADOR MARTA MILLER HOSTS ICE SKATING EXHIBITION APRIL 28, 2023 AT EAST WEST ICE PALACE IN ARTESIA, CA

LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — At 16 years old, Studio City resident Marta Miller has accomplished more than the average teen. On April 28, 2023, Marta will host the 5^th Annual Fundraiser through their foundation, The Marta Eliza Miller Foundation (MEMF), for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: An Ice Skating Exhibition at East West Ice Palace (the home of Michelle Kwan), in Artesia, CA. A five-year Junior Ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Marta has raised over $40,000 for the hospital, and will be presenting a check to CHLA for more than $22,000 on April 28, 2023.

Marta Miller is an ice dancer, member of U.S. Figure Skating, musical theatre kid, and high school graduate with honors, graduating April 27^th, with 28 undergraduate college credits already completed. Marta also has scoliosis. “I created the MEMF, a non-profit organization for scoliosis awareness, at a critical time in my life when I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue skating,” says Marta. 

In 2020, Marta’s spinal curve had increased to 48 degrees. Marta had been a scoliosis patient at CHLA since 2018, and a Junior Ambassador since 2019. While awaiting the results of three M.R.I.s (lower, middle and upper back/neck) Marta and family created the Marta Eliza Miller Foundation (MEMF) with the goal to create awareness about scoliosis and to encourage other young athletes struggling with the physical and mental challenges of having scoliosis. 

In 2019, Marta began raising funds for CHLA, with Toy Drives, a virtual 5k run, and through their foundation raising more than $18k over the last four years. Marta also has spoken at several fundraising events on behalf of CHLA about their experience as a patient and Junior Ambassador. “From the first time I visited CHLA, I felt at home,” says Marta. “Everyone there is so positive. After I did the motion study, which was a long four-hour process, my mom took a photo of me next to a sign in the lobby that said, ‘We Got This,’ and that is how the doctors and nurses made me feel. I was going to be okay and be able to accomplish whatever it was that I wanted to accomplish because ‘I Got This,’ too. I created my foundation to help encourage other athletes with scoliosis. Our motto is: Stand Tall, Be Strong, Dream Big.”

The 5^th Annual MEMF Fundraiser, an Ice Skating Exhibition, features 25 programs and figure skaters, including 2018 Olympian (Team Korea) Yura Min, Team USA Skater & Coach & 10x National Competitor Sean Rabbitt, Team USA & 2023 ISU World Junior Pairs Champion (Gold) & 2023 US Championships Senior Pairs Medalist (4^th) Sonia Baram, Team USA & 2023 US Championships Junior Pairs Champion (Gold) Ellie Korytek & Timmy Chapman, Team USA & 2023 US Championships Junior Silver Medalist (2^nd)  Keira Hilbelink, 2023 US Solo Dance Championships Senior Medalist (4^th) Hannah Kim, French National Skater Amy Coperchini, and LA Kings Ice Crew & Bailey the Mascot.  Marta Miller will perform a partnered ice dance program with Scott Dudley. (See below for a full list of skaters). 

Says Marta of the upcoming event, “I’m so appreciative of the overwhelming support we have received within the skating community from US Figure Skating to the incredible list of skaters who are volunteering their time to the LA Kings Ice Crew & Bailey to East West Ice Palace. I was totally surprised how quickly this all has come together and I’m really looking forward to presenting a check to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles that surpasses my goal of $20,230 for this single fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who has donated through my foundation, including some of our notable sponsors, the Ramsey Social & Justice Project and W Los Angeles.”

The 2023 Ice Skating Exhibition takes place at East West Ice Palace in Artesia, CA on April 28^th from 7-9 PM.  Bring a toy for CHLA or the suggested donation.  The exhibition and pre-show can be viewed through a live stream for a donation at:  http://www.tinyurl.com/MEMF4CHLA

About Marta Eliza Miller Foundation
MEMF is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was created to build support and education for scoliosis awareness for young athletes. The MEMF motto is to STAND TALL and the goal is to help youth with the mental and physical struggles of having scoliosis. For more information, or to donate, please visit www.martaelizamillerfoundation.com, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine, offering acclaimed care to children from across the world, the country and the greater Southern California region. Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the largest provider of care for children in Los Angeles County, the No. 1 pediatric hospital in California and the Pacific region, and is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals. Clinical expertise spans the pediatric care continuum for newborns to young adults, from everyday preventive medicine to the most medically complex cases. Inclusive, compassionate, child- and family-friendly clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Physicians translate the new discoveries, treatments and cures proven through the work of scientists in The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—among the top 10 children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding—to bring answers to families faster. The hospital also is home to one of the largest training programs for pediatricians in the United States.
To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, and visit our blog at CHLA.org/blog. 

Full list of figure skaters performing at the 5^th Annual MEMF Fundraiser for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2023 Ice Skating Exhibition
(not in show order)

• LA Kings Ice Crew & Bailey the Mascot
• 2018 Olympian (Team Korea) Yura Min
• Team USA 2023 ISU World Junior Pairs Champion (Gold) & 2023 US Championships Senior Pairs Medalist (4^th) Sonia Baram
• Team USA 2023 US Championships Junior Pairs Champions (Gold) Ellie Korytek & Timmy Chapman
• Team USA 2023 US Championships Junior Silver Medalist (2^nd) Keira Hilbelink
• Team USA Skater & Coach & 10x National Competitor Sean Rabbitt
• 2023 US Solo Dance Championships Senior Pewter Medalist (4^th) Hannah Kim
• French National Skater Amy Coperchini
• Natasha Anisamava
• Emma Foster
• Milena Markin
• Alena Polkovnikova
• Jennifer Cruz
• Vera Zolotov
• Audrey Chen
• Taisiya Shapovalova & Sebastian Malcyzk
• Faina Shapovalova
• Layla Begovic
• Katherine Zaretski
• Alice Ozerina
• Ian Zachary
• Elizabeth Yun
• Alissa Korytek
• Rachel Samiri
• Valentina Kutepova
• CHLA Junior Ambassador & MEMF Founder Marta Miller & Scott Dudley

SOURCE Marta Eliza Miller Foundation (MEMF)