Fall gala season is in full swing with its annual marathon of lavish events drawing influential and powerful figures. Across New York, actors, musicians, politicians, philanthropists and executives, dressed in their finest, schmooze over multicourse dinners and exclusive performances as major institutions appeal to some of the city’s wealthiest residents for financial support and cultural cachet.
Previous stops in this ongoing series have included the opening nights of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and Carnegie Hall, as well as the star-packed Albie Awards. See who was out, what they wore and how much was raised.
Monday, Oct. 21
God’s Love We Deliver Raises $4 Million
During the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights was a sanctuary for people who were affected by the disease.
On Monday evening, some of that energy and kindness returned as more than 700 guests — actors, influencers, businessmen, and restaurateurs — filled the cathedral, from the crossing to the nave, for the 18th annual Golden Heart Awards. The event raised more than $4 million for God’s Love We Deliver, which began in 1985 in response to the AIDS crisis, providing food to people who couldn’t cook or shop for themselves.
The organization, which still offers medically tailored meals for people with serious illnesses, now serves about five million of them annually.
The night honored Sarah Jessica Parker and Megan Thee Stallion for philanthropy, and the actor Cole Escola with the award for special achievements in the arts.
“Sarah is the female face of New York around the world,” said Michael Kors, co-sponsor and co-chairman of the event, explaining her ties with the city — where she has raised a family, lived, worked and contributed to the community.
Escola, who rushed uptown after performing in their play “Oh, Mary!” — about a romance-starved Mary Todd Lincoln — was dressed in a leopard patterned overcoat by Mr. Kors.
“It makes me feel like Barbra Streisand at the beginning of ‘Funny Girl,’” Escola said.
One of the major donors of the evening was Sam Lombardo, the founder of the Benecon Group, a health insurance company. He initially donated $200,000 and then matched donations up to $1 million in memory of one of his Golden Retrievers, Lambo, who died that morning.
“We love their cause, people are diligent, we love the volunteers,” Mr. Lombardo said.
Purple, the color of the evening — seen in table clothes, flowers and stage lighting effects — was inspired by the cathedral’s stained glass windows. A string quartet sat on the great choir playing popular hit covers. Catering was curated by Melba Wilson, of Melba’s restaurant, in Harlem.
As the singer Sam Smith, in a cobalt blue suit, wrapped up the evening with an angelic performance of “Stay With Me,” “Unholy” and “Time After Time,” Anna Wintour, an honorary co-chairman of the event, bobbed her bob to the music and smiled.
The post Megan Thee Stallion and Sarah Jessica Parker Honored at Golden Heart Awards appeared first on New York Times.
