On Monday, February 24, co-founder of Cure Addiction Now (CAN), a nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative research for substance use disorder (SUD), Nancy Davis welcomed guests to The Beverly Hills Hotel for its Inaugural Fundraising Evening, which raised $800,000.
The inaugural event featured a cocktail reception, seated dinner, live auction and special performances by Rufus Wainwright, Siedah Garrett, David Foster, Madison Love, Colin Love, Scout Willis, and Luke K.
For the first time ever, the event united supporters, advocates and experts to raise critical funds for CAN’s groundbreaking initiatives. By fostering collaboration among leading scientists and addressing both addiction and mental health, CAN is advancing toward its goal of eliminating the stigma and delivering life-saving solutions. In addition to funding scientific research, a donation will be made from the event to a local center supporting patients who suffer from substance use disorder that have been affected by the fires in Los Angeles.
Guests included Cure Addiction Now co-founder Nancy Davis, performers Rufus Wainwright, Siedah Garrett, David Foster, Madison Love, Colin Love, Scout Willis and Luke K, and other special guests including Aida Rodriguez, Alex Meneses, Amanda Kloots, Ashley Benson and Brandon Davis, Bijou Phillips, Byron Allen, Christine Chiu, Christine Devine, Constance Marie, Dave Winfield, David Weintraub, Dorit Kemsley, Francesca Eastwood, Gina Torres, Gustavo Nascimento, Harry Goodwins, Heather Dubrow and Terry Dubrow, Jackie Tohn, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jamar Hart, James Tupper, Kathy and Rick Hilton, Katie Cassidy, Kyle Stefanski, Linda Thompson, Lisa Stanley, Lisa Vidal, Megan Holiday, Mike Hermosa, Roger Love, Sean McNabb, Shaun Robinson, Skye Peters, Soleil Moon Frye and more.
Nancy Davis took the stage to thank guests for their support at the first-ever fundraising event for the organization, saying “I want to thank each of you here tonight for coming to support this cause. I’m so proud to be here to honor my precious and caring son, Jason, who passed away five years ago today.” Davis spoke about her son’s struggle with addiction before sharing, “It was Jason’s dream to create new, affordable medications to help stop cravings, and vaccines to stop opioid addiction… I am so proud and grateful to say that since Jason’s creating this organization, we’ve been able to fund 19 studies.” She added, “Addiction is the leading cause of death in our country for people 48 years old and younger; one person in the US dies every five minutes of an overdose…We need to understand that addiction is a disease, not a choice.”
CAN Board Member Lisa Vidal gave a moving speech about her son’s years-long battle with addiction, saying “I am here as part of Cure Addiction Now to make a difference, to fight for my son, to honor my baby boy…he was a good boy. He wasn’t what people think about addicts. Addicts are people that are suffering and this is a disease.”
Madison Love and Colin Love kicked off the evening’s performances to perform their original song, “One More Day,” with David Foster on piano. Shaun Robinson introduced Siedah Garrett who performed a powerful rendition of “Man in the Mirror.” While onstage, Garrett revealed that she had performed the same song in the same location almost exactly five years ago at Jason Davis’ funeral. Rufus Wainwright provided guests with a moving performance featuring songs “Going To A Town,” “Across the Universe,” and “Hallelujah.” The evening’s next performer, Scout Willis, was introduced by James Tupper. Willis performed her original songs “Over and Over” and “Last Night.” Megan Holiday took the stage to share her personal experience with addiction and introduced Luke K who closed out the evening with his original song “Poison.”
The event also included a live auction featuring luxurious items such as a private yacht charter in the Bahamas with a crew and a private chef aboard the Grand Illusion; a VIP racing experience with Aviotti Racing in Sonoma; and an original signed Retna painting of “Body Shop 2024.”
Co-founded by Nancy Davis and her late son, Jason Davis, CAN is transforming the landscape of addiction treatment through science-driven research and innovation. CAN has assembled a collaborative group of esteemed doctors who are part of the Cure Addiction Now team that represent Mount Sinai, Harvard, Yale, University of Maryland, UCLA, Scripps, University of Washington, UC Davis, University of Kentucky, Johns Hopkins, and University of Texas Medical Branch. To date, the organization has funded over 19 groundbreaking studies, focusing on goals such as developing therapies to stop the craving mechanism in the brain, making detox easier and affordable for everyone to achieve sobriety and funding vaccine research.
Central to CAN’s mission is the commitment to removing the shame and stigma surrounding addiction and seeking help, ensuring individuals feel empowered to pursue recovery without judgment. Recognizing the deep connection between addiction and mental health, CAN emphasizes that substance use disorder is not merely a physical dependency. It is a disease often intertwined with mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and trauma. By integrating mental health into its research and treatment strategies, CAN is forging a holistic approach to recovery—addressing both the physical and psychological factors that contribute to addiction.
Sponsors of the event included L’AGENCE and Wild 7 Films.
