| EVENT REPORT 05.05.08 3:28 PM |
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| Big-Ticket Items |
| The 15th annual Race to Erase MS benefit brought in $2 million, with help from auction items like a round of IVF fertility treatment and a day of shopping with Nicky and Paris Hilton. |
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Economic forecasts of doom and gloom may have cast a pall on some fund-raising efforts, but the 15th annual Race to Erase MS benefit hummed with activity—and the sweet sound of opening wallets—at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Friday evening. The event, spearheaded by the socially prominent Nancy Davis and designer Tommy Hilfiger, drew a whopping 1,200 supporters, who perused a silent-auction area with nearly as many items as there were guests. The event raised the healthy sum of more than $2 million for the Nancy Davis Center Without Walls, which supports MS research.
“We realize the economy has taken quite a turn, and there's no doubt it's impacting fund-raising across the board,” said Race to Erase MS executive director Liz Zigal, who produced the event with the hands-on Davis. “We felt really blessed.” |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | The "We Love to Erase MS" logo borrowed from New York's iconic ad campaign.
Photo: Silvia Mautner |
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 | Actress Teri Garr, introduced by Anne Heche, spoke about her experiences with MS.
Photo: Silvia Mautner |
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 | Actors Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans took to the runway in the fashion show.
Photo: Silvia Mautner |
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With that many items up for grabs, it's hard to break new ground, but the silent and live auctions managed to include such intriguing offerings as a round of IVF fertility treatment (the starting bid was $7,000) and a day of shopping with Nicky and Paris Hilton (snapped up for $13,000).
This year's event coincided with the launch of Race to Erase MS's new fund-raising campaign, “Orange You Happy to Erase MS,” along the lines of the Gap's (Product) Red collection to benefit Africa. Race to Erase is raising money by selling orange-colored fashion items, such as Alexandra Knight's leather bracelets, which it unveiled and offered for sale at the gala.
Orange and white made up the decor palette: Mindy Weiss Party Consultants draped the silent-auction room in those colors, which also dominated the sparkly signage announcing auction categories. Low arrangements of coral-colored tulips and roses coupled with white roses from Mark's Garden topped tables. Davis and her three-year-old twins wore coral-colored dresses designed for the occasion by Ali Rahimi. And an orange heart embellished this year's event logo—“We Love to Erase MS” —which borrowed from New York's iconic ad campaign. Hilfiger's new book Iconic America inspired the logo and served as giveaways for departing guests.
Models and celebrities like Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna took a spin down the runway in Hilfiger's sportswear before Davis came out to address the crowd. In one moving note, Teri Garr, who has MS and had appeared on the stage of last year's gala in a wheelchair, walked to the podium after a successful year of physical therapy.
Guests sipped spirits donated by Future Brands and Barefoot Wine and dined on executive chef Manfred Lassahn's beef tenderloin and mac and cheese before settling in for a concert by another American icon, Frankie Valli.
—Irene Lacher
RELATED TOPICS
Race to Erase MS, Nancy Davis Center Without Walls
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