Drew Barrymore, The Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation and The Los Angeles Kings To Be Honored at 2016 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles ‘Once Upon a Time’ Gala
Tony Nominee and Grammy Award Winner Josh Gad will host the
sold-out event, which will feature a live performance by global pop
superstar Katy Perry
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On Saturday, October 15, 2016, more than 1,200 people will attend the
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles ‘Once Upon a Time’ Gala at The Event
Deck at L.A. LIVE. The biennial event will bring together prominent
philanthropists, business and entertainment community leaders, local
dignitaries and hospital supporters to raise funds for the hospital to
provide expert critical care to its pediatric population.
Actress Drew Barrymore, The Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation and
The Los Angeles Kings hockey team will each receive the Courage to
Care award, which was inspired by Dustin Meraz, an 11-year-old
terminally ill cancer patient whose legacy was to encourage others to
have the courage to care for children in need. While these champions of
children and child-related causes come from varied backgrounds and
industries, they share a common bond through their participation in
philanthropy, altruism and activism to improve the welfare of children
worldwide. Past honorees include Natalie Portman, Johnny Depp, Jennifer
Lopez, Heidi Klum, Jamie Lee Curtis, Pau Gasol, Costco Wholesale and The
Walt Disney Company.
“This evening is a celebration of the ongoing commitment these
compassionate individuals have made to the patients and families we
serve,” says Paul S. Viviano, president and CEO, Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles.
Drew Barrymore is an actress, author, director, producer, model,
businesswoman, humanitarian and mother. Her dedication to helping
children in need has fortified her commitment to Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles. Her annual Mother’s Day pampering events in conjunction with
her company Flower Beauty have had a lasting positive impact on CHLA’s
patient families. In 2007, Barrymore was named an Ambassador Against
Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme. She is also a
supporter of Safe Kids Worldwide, an organization that promotes injury
prevention and child safety.
Legendary Hollywood film director Billy Wilder and his wife, actress
Audrey Wilder, were longtime supporters of charitable causes throughout
their 53-year-marriage via The Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation. In
2012, the Wilder Family Trust donated $11 million to support CHLA’s
Division of Neurosurgery, the Neuro-Oncology program, the Division of
Rheumatology and other programs that will benefit patients and the
community for many years to come.
The Los Angeles Kings are currently celebrating their 50th
anniversary. Superstars on and off the ice, the organization is this
year’s corporate Courage to Care honoree and the Gala’s Title Sponsor.
The Kings Care Foundation is the award-winning non-profit charity of the
Kings dedicated to providing children throughout greater Los Angeles
with educational and recreational opportunities. Frequent patient
visits, blood drives and preventive care programs highlight the
organization’s longstanding commitment to CHLA.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to be recognized by our
tremendous partners at CHLA,” said Luc Robitaille, Kings president,
business operations. “Our relationship with CHLA is one of the longest
and most impactful partnerships we have and this event will be a perfect
launching pad for us to begin celebrating our 50th year in
Los Angeles. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The evening’s special guest is Mark D. Krieger, MD, chief of medical
staff and head of the Division of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital
Los Angeles. Krieger is the inaugural chair holder of the Billy and
Audrey L. Wilder Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery, co-director of the
Neurosciences Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and a
professor of neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at the
University of Southern California.
Red Carpet arrivals will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by a cocktail
reception and sit-down dinner prepared by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.
The evening’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ theme will be represented by dramatic
Cirque-style performances, bringing to life some of the most famous
children’s stories through acrobats and aerialists. Tony nominee and
Grammy Award winner Josh Gad will be the evening’s host. Global pop
superstar Katy Perry will conclude the night with a special performance.
The evening’s Premier Sponsors are Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg,
Costco Wholesale, Delta Air Lines, The Goldwin Foundation, and Kristin
and Jeffrey Worthe.
The event is sold out. To support the event through the purchase of a
tribute journal ad or a general event donation, please contact Michael
Sandler at msandler@chla.usc.edu.
NOTE TO EDITORS: To request media credentials or to receive photos or
video following the event, please contact Monica Rizzo at mrizzo@chla.usc.edu.
All media credential requests must be received by Friday, September
23, 2016. Confirmed media will receive an email with instructions on
credential pickup and parking information.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a nonprofit pediatric health care
organization dedicated to creating hope and building healthier futures
for children. Honored as the premier children’s hospital in California
and among the top 10 in the nation, we treat 111,000 young patients
annually from Los Angeles and around the world. As a pediatric charity
of choice, the hospital relies on the generosity of the community to
support its groundbreaking pediatric research and the complex care it
provides for critically ill and injured children.
For more information, visit CHLA.org.
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blog.
Contacts
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Monica Rizzo
Office: (323)
361-5745
E-mail: mrizzo@chla.usc.edu
