Two-time Emmy Award winner and EXTRA host Mario Lopez will host the 4th Annual Wishing Well Winter Gala presented by Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles on December 7, 2016 at the Hollywood Palladium, it was announced by Neal Aton, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles.
As previously announced, the Gala will honor Academy Award-winner Robert Downey Jr, entertainment industry power broker and multimedia entrepreneur Scooter Braun and the LA Kings, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary. The evening will include a live performance from Grammy-nominated artist Tori Kelly, cocktails, a sit-down dinner, silent and live auctions and special wish granting.
Said Aton: “It’s fitting that Mario Lopez will host this year’s Gala. Mario is passionate about youth and children’s causes, and we’re thrilled to have him as part of the Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles family. With his wide range of talents, generosity of spirit, positive energy and deep connection to our wish kids, we’re betting he’s going to inject our evening with a whole new level of fun and excitement.”
Lopez was recently involved in a wish for 11-year-old Cayden, who wished to appear on EXTRA as a “pop star” as part of World Wish Day. As part of his wish, Cayden performed with Maroon 5, walked past a throng of screaming fans with his bodyguards in tow, and made a special guest appearance with Lopez on EXTRA – taking the pop star culture by storm.
Lopez is best known to television audiences as A.C. Slater from NBC’s popular teen comedy series, Saved by the Bell. Since then, he has diversified his career to include everything from acting, to dancing, to hosting talk shows. In addition to his Emmy award winning daily hosting stints on EXTRA, Lopez hosts the nationwide iHeartMedia radio shows On with Mario Lopez and iHeartRadio Countdown with Mario Lopez, and is a recurring commentator on HBO Boxing. Lopez danced his way to the finals in the third season of ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars. He successfully completed his first run on Broadway starring in the long running hit musical A Chorus Line as “Zach.” Lopez revived his guest-starring role as Dr. Mike Hamoui on the final season of F/X Network’s popular show Nip/Tuck. Other credits include Holiday in Handcuffs (ABC Family) and Husband for Hire (Oxygen), Pet Star and The X Factor. Passionate about youth and children’s causes, Lopez’s charitable work includes serving as an Alumni Ambassador of Fitness for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).
The Make-A-Wish awards are presented at the annual Wishing Well Winter Gala, where entertainment executives, celebrities, top business executives, community and civic leaders, medical professionals and philanthropists celebrate the children and families whose lives have been changed forever by the power of a wish. Since its start in 2013, these meaningful events have collectively raised almost $3 million for wish kids living in Greater Los Angeles. Past honorees include sports stars Kobe Bryant, Landon Donovan and Oscar de la Hoya; philanthropists Sam Nazarian and Michael Rosenfeld; and medical pioneers Children's Hospital Los Angeles, OneLegacy and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.
In addition to the award presentations, the evening will include entertainment, cocktails, sit-down dinner, one-of-a-kind silent and live auction items and wish granting. Additional award honorees will be announced shortly.
Join generous presenting sponsor, The Goldwin Foundation, along with many other partners and donors, in supporting the 4th Annual Make-A-Wish Wishing Well Winter Gala.
· To purchase tickets, tables and sponsorships please visit www.la.wish.org/gala
· To make a donation, visit www.la.wish.org.
