The Carousel of Hope, the world’s premiere charity event benefiting childhood diabetes, hosted bi-annually by Barbara Davis, will honor California First Lady Maria Shriver with the “Brass Ring Award” at its 32nd anniversary gala on Sat., Oct. 23, in Beverly Hills, Calif., at the Beverly Hilton.
“Maria Shriver has long been a fearless and tireless advocate for children and families, a trailblazer in this area for the good of mankind, carrying on a tradition of selfless dedication to those in need started by past generations of her remarkable family,” says philanthropist Barbara Davis.
The first lady of California since 2003, Maria Shriver has been a national presence for several decades, as a broadcaster, speaker, and best selling author. Six of her books have been New York Times best sellers and her groundbreaking reports on women’s issues have been featured on NBC, CBS and HBO, where she co-executive produced the Emmy winning four part film on Alzheimer’s, “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” A graduate of Georgetown University, Maria Shriver is married to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and is the mother of four children.
Maria Shriver has taken the Women’s Conference to new levels during her time as First Lady of California, transforming it into the nation’s premiere forum for women, attended by 14,000 participants. From October 24 through October 26, The Women’s Conference 2010 will engage more than 150 news-makers and world opinion leaders around the overarching theme of “It’s Time” to inspire more than 30,000 women from all walks of life to see this challenging moment in history as an opportunity to come together and transform ourselves and our communities as Architects of Change. The three-day forum will be kicked off this year on Sunday, October 24 with Maria Shriver’s March on Alzheimer’s in Long Beach. Proceeds from The Women’s Conference’s Main Event, Grand Finale featuring The 2010 Minerva Awards, Night at The Village, A Day of Health, Wellness & Transformation, and Night at the Theater events all support the conference organization’s six WE Programs – WE Educate, WE Invest, WE Connect, WE Act, WE Inspire and WE Honor.
“When all is said and done, my main goal in life is to raise children who feel they are deeply loved…children who are kind, compassionate and aware of the world around them. If I can do that, I will consider myself a success,” says Shriver.
The legendary gala will benefit the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.
One of show business’ leading power couples, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Gladys Knight will perform. Jay Leno will emcee and Rickey Minor, bandleader of the “Tonight Show,” debuts in his new role as the event’s Music Director.
Among past Carousel of Hope honorees are Stevie Wonder, Hillary Clinton, Sidney Poitier, Clive Davis, Halle Berry, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra and Denzel Washington. The Carousel of Hope galas have featured once-in-a-lifetime performances by Elton John, Sting, BB King, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Ricky Martin, Beyoncé Knowles, Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra and Bette Midler.
Since its founding by Marvin and Barbara Davis, The Carousel of Hope has raised over $75 million to date on behalf of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes in Denver, Colo., the leading center for pediatric diabetes in the world.
