Held this year in Culver City, the gala raised nearly $5 million to help children in need
Words by MARIE LOOK
Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling and Nicole Richie were among the Hollywood A-listers who turned out for this year’s Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell, held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3Labs in Culver City. Designed by Los Angeles event producer Yifat Oren, the night included an inspiring program and a menu curated by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Animal, Jon & Vinny’s) with the help of some of the city’s best chefs from restaurants such as Gjusta, Kismet, Majordomo, Night + Market, Shake Shack, Sugarfish and others.
Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off the elegant evening, addressing the attendees, including Gina Rodriguez, Kelly Rowland, Kirsten Dunst and Olivia Munn, via a video in which he applauded the nonprofit’s ongoing work and addressed the current state of wildfires in California.
Next, model and author Chrissy Teigen was presented with Baby2Baby’s 2019 Giving Tree Award by Academy Award winner (and the organization’s 2017 honoree) Gwyneth Paltrow, who recognized Teigen for using her position in the public eye to advocate on behalf of children living in poverty.
Speaking to the crowd, Teigen’s husband, singer-songwriter John Legend, praised his wife’s achievements as a mother, philanthropist and role model. “She is vigilant about donating to Baby2Baby on a regular basis,” he said. “We have a dedicated basket in our house that collects stuff for us to send to the distribution center every week.” Teigen, who received a standing ovation when accepting the award, responded, “All I do is try my best to ensure that children have what they need. … No kid should go without the basic supplies they need to be happy and healthy in their home.”
Taking the stage together, co-presidents Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein addressed the packed room of supporters — among them, Rachel Zoe, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, Billy Eichner, Sam Worthington and Jordana Brewster — sharing that this past year Baby2Baby responded to disasters like the California wildfires, Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and Hurricane Imelda in Houston by sending almost 5 million basic essentials to children who had been impacted.
Continuing in that same spirit of contribution, actors Nicole Richie Ali Wong emceed the giving portion of the program, cracking jokes and encouraging guests to donate generously, ultimately raising a record-breaking $4.7 million for the cause. Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba then brought the event to a close, thanking everyone who had made the occasion possible.
The rest of the night was all about celebrating, including a performance of several hits by the legendary Paula Abdul and an afterparty DJ’d by Samantha Ronson.
Feature image: KELLY SAWYER PATRICOF, JESSICA ALBA, CHRISSY TEIGEN, JENNIFER GARNER, KATE HUDSON AND NORAH WEINSTEIN. Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Baby2Baby.
Nov. 12, 2019
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