A brand new 2015 Mercedes Benz S550 for $170,000. Two trips to Paris Fashion Week for $10,000 each. A luxury, romantic vacation to Bora Bora for $60,000.
The live auction of those donated items—benefiting the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes–was just one of the many highlights of one of the most highly anticipated charitable events of the year, the 2014 Carousel of Hope Ball held at the Beverly Hilton.
All proceeds from the star-studded gala go toward finding a cure for Type I Diabetes.
Saturday night’s event was hosted by Jay Leno, and featured stellar performances from Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.
This year’s Ball honored basketball great and legendary businessman Magic Johnson for his humanitarian work. Thrilling the Los Angeles crowd with memories of the Lakers Showtime era, he was presented with the “Brass Ring” award by another iconic superstar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was exciting to see the NBA’s leading all time scorer reunited with his teammate of 10 years. After a glowing introduction, Magic passed back the love in Kareem’s direction by calling out some of his accomplishments, like, oh, five NBA championships.
Johnson said he has especially identified with people who have diabetes because of his HIV diagnosis more than 20 years ago. Closing his speech he said, “Keeping hope alive leads to capturing the brass ring.”
The Carousel Ball was founded in 1978 by Marvin and Barbara Davis and in the ensuing years has raised a staggering $77 million for the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, the country’s leading care and research center for Type I Diabetes.
In addition to the headlining entertainers, in the audience were other music legends including Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, Carole Bayer Sager, Johnny Mathis, Diane Warren, David Foster—who musical directed the show– and Clive Davis.
Also spotted among the guests: Diane Keaton, Sidney Poitier, Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, Anjelica Huston, Larry King, Raquel Welch, Bellamy Young, Jackie and Joan Collins, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Griffin, George Hamilton and Alana Stewart, Doris Roberts, Matthew Modine, Suzanne Somers, Kat Dennings and George Schlatter, the evening’s producer.
The Carousel Ball began at 6:30 p.m. with a massive silent auction of goods and services donated that all go to the cause, everything from jewelry, including pieces designed by Barbara’s daughter Nancy Davis, musical instruments, designer dresses and handbags, hotel and resort visits and entertainment and sports memorabilia.
Invited guests stroll through the displays of merchandise and bid on items while sipping champagne and cocktails while waiters pass hors d’oeuvres on silver trays.
And there were cars with the canapés. That’s right. Prominently on display inside and outside the Hilton were several Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including the S550 Coupe Edition 1 Launch Model, one of only 400 made, that Leno auctioned off.
The luxury automaker was the presenting sponsor for the sixth consecutive time. Mercedes also incorporated its Drive It Forward Program into the evening by donating one Teddy or Jessica Bear to each child at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes for every person in attendance. In addition, Mercedes-Benz children’s pedal car signed by celebrities throughout the evening was to be auctioned off after the event.
As the bids for the silent auction closed, guests were ushered into the International Ballroom to find their seats at beautifully decorated tables throughout the venue. Carousel ponies from merry-go-rounds festooned the walls and the stage.
Mackenzie Sol, a 13-year-old singer from the United Kingdom, hit the high notes as he performed the national anthem.
After Leno conducted the live auction, it was time for dinner, which began with a shrimp and feta cheese wedge salad and continued with Châteaubriand and culminated with a meringue and chocolate dessert topped with a pink carousel horse crafted of white chocolate.
After dinner and the live auction, Josh Groban kicked off the evening’s entertainment with rousing performances of “Cinema Paradiso” and “You Raise Me Up.” Jennifer Hudson enthralled the room with “Hallelujah,” and her hit “I’m Telling You.” And then there was even more. Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds closed out the evening with his hit songs including “When Can I See You Again,” and “Change the World.”
The messages of those songs resonated perfectly with the theme of the evening, which was also supported by sponsors including Patrón Spirits Company, which created specialty cocktails and hosted a popular photo booth, Guess? Inc., American Airlines, The Beverly Hilton, St. Regis Resorts, and Tina & Rick J. Caruso.
–Hillary Atkin
