Elliot Grainge and Sofia Richie GraingeMatt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Non-profit work isn’t usually glamorous. And even at Baby2Baby, where the focus is providing basic needs and support to families and children unable to make ends meet on their own, it isn’t. But Baby2Baby’s annual gala, a celeb-studded bash put on by the organization to raise funds to support its charitable efforts (the event, in fact, funds 60% of the organization’s operations)—well, it’s a pretty glamorous event.
In part, it’s because a hefty amount of the organization’s angels and board members are often in attendance. Saturday night, Miranda Kerr, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Sofia Richie Grainge, Mindy Kaling, Katy Perry, Chrissy Teigen and more were among them. And in part, it’s because nearly every buzzy restaurant in town is on the menu (even better, hand-picked by beloved chefs Jon and Vinny, they each set up grab-and-go stations at the party). And also, it’s because the night never closes without a performance by an iconic talent.
At the gala, the organization recognized actor and producer Charlize Theron for her philanthropic work serving her home country of South Africa, addressing issues such as HIV spikes and femicide, with remarks from the likes of Jennifer Garner, Ciara, Katy Perry, and Ayesha Curry before Theron was called to the stage. “One does not need to know much about Charlize to know about her work in Africa, am I right?” Garner said to the audience. “Is it not one of the first things that pops into your mind? That’s saying something.”
Alongside honoring Theron, who addressed Baby2Baby’s co-CEO’s Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein at the podium (“What’s the secret?” she asked. “Because the breadth of your work and your commitment is truly, truly inspiring and it’s so critical.”), attendees were also there to raise money. Led by Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Bowen, a giving period wherein people such as Miranda Kerr, Paris Hilton, Tyler Perry, Chrissy Teigen, and more raised their hands to donate resulted in over $17 million raised in the evening.
There was, of course, ahead of the gala, the fair share of mingling—Ashley Graham chatted with Yvonne Oriji, Nicole Richie and Ciara were spotted in conversation before taking their seats, and Tyler Ferguson and Bowen caught up with yet another Modern Family castmate, Sarah Hyland.
At the close of the program, tables were cleared from the front of the room to make way for the crowd to gather for a performance from Nelly (Paris Hilton was front and center while her husband Carter Reum grabbed her a drink from the bar). Then, a disco pizza party ensued, the only acceptable ending to such a night.