On Saturday, October 23, host Barbara Davis welcomed guests to the Beverly Hilton for the 32nd Anniversary Carousel of Hope Ball.
The celebrity charity event, founded by Barbara and the late Marvin Davis in 1977, brought together Hollywood’s elite as they raised nearly $2.5 million to benefit the clinical care and research at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes (BDC) where more than 5,000 children and young adults receive specialized care.
Celebrity guests as this year’s event included host Barbara Davis, emcee Jay Leno, honorees Maria Shriver and Quincy Jones, performers Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony, Gladys Knight and Akon, along with guests Garcelle Beauvais, Halle Berry, Thora Birch, Brandy, Adrien Brody, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Jackie Collins, Joan Collins, Jane Fonda, Daisy Fuentes, Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson, Nicky Hilton, Paris Hilton, Rick & Kathy Hilton, Anjelica Huston, Randy Jackson, Don Johnson, Nigel Lythgoe, Chris Massey, Kyle Massey, Nancy O'Dell, Sidney Poitier, Don Rickles, Mimi Rogers, Mira Sorvino, Rod Stewart, Alan Thicke, Diane Warren, Raquel Welch, Vanna White, Stevie Wonder and many more.
The unforgettable evening included performances by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, who performed a beautiful duet entitled “No Me Ames.” Before the couple joined each other on stage, Marc Anthony captivated the crowd with a solo performance of “Aguanile,” and Jennifer Lopez closed their set with fiery solo performance of “Let’s Get Loud.” Akon also took to the stage, performing his hit songs “Angel” and “Sexy Chick.” Legendary artist Gladys Knight closed out the evening with crowd favorites “Neither One of Us” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
The prestigious Brass Ring Award was presented to California First Lady Maria Shriver by Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson. Randy Jackson presented Quincy Jones with the Foundation’s distinguished Humanitarian Award on the 25th Anniversary of “We Are The World.” Jay Leno once again reprised his role as master of ceremonies, and Rickey Minor debuted in his new role as the event’s Music Director.
During the live auction one lucky winner walked away with a Mercedes-Benz 2011 CL63 AMG for $170,000. The live auction also included an incredible trip around the world from St. Regis Hotels, an Avjet trip for 7 to Las Vegas or Monterey on a Gulfstream 150 or Hawker 800XP, dinner for 20 in the private dining room at Mr. Chow and more.
The Carousel of Hope has helped raise more $75 million dollars to date in critical funds for the diabetes epidemic, which afflicts one in three babies born today. These essential funds are raised on behalf of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes in Denver, CO, where more than 5,000 children and young adults receive specialized care for diabetes and prevention of eye and kidney complications as the Center’s multi-faceted research focuses on areas such as stem cell and islet cell transplantation research.
