Hats off to Janeen Mansour for seeing a vision through to reality by launching The Noble Awards, recognizing celebrities whose fame makes a tangible difference in the world of charitable giving.
These aren't people who decided yesterday to lend their names to something - they have been deeply committed to causes and speak about them with sincerity and passion. Making examples of these celebrities - calling out what makes one noble - can only serve to encourage other celebrities in the future to do the same - and when a celebrity lends energy to a charity, it changes the success a thousand-fold. This first in what will surely be an annual telecast, took place at the glamorous international ballroom at the Beverly Hilton, overseen by Michael Seligman (of Academy Awards fame) and event organizer extraordinaire, Judy Levy. I enjoyed a truly remarkable evening with the following honorees:
Nancy O'Dell - Best known as a celebrity entertainment reporter, she delivered what may be the most articulate speech I have EVER heard urging people to become involved in a mentoring program "Best Buddies" - a big brother / big sister program where you are paired with a person who has mental disabilities. She has been devoting her time and celebrity to the cause since 1993. She delivered her acceptance speech without the use of a teleprompter or cue cards and I was rendered speechless by her passion and commitment.
Teri Hatcher - A desperate housewife by night, she recently completed a marathon to raise money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles (one of my former clients). She was genuine and humble and persuasive about becoming involved in causes that affect the lives of children because they ultimately inspire you to push yourself further than you realized you would be able to go on your own (including swimming in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean despite fears of great white sharks).
Billy Bush - The emcee of the evening was recognized for his work on behalf of Lollipop Theatre Network which brings first run movies (along with the stars of those movies) into hospitals where children are terminally ill - the images of the children participating in this program were unforgettable and it took a connected celeb like Bush to make a small dream (operating on $30,000) become a national reality.
Brett Ratner - He makes movies for a living but tonight was honored for commitment to dosomething.org which motivates and encourages literally millions of teenagers nationwide to change the world. I absolutely want my niece and nephews to feel the empowerment that comes from accepting the challenges presented by this extraordinary (and heretofor unknown) program.
AnnaLynne McCord - a star of 90210, she was particularly forceful about the mission to stop the global slave/prostitution trade through an organization called theblindproject.com Without the use of notes or cue cards, she was a brilliant and articulate spokesperson reminding everyone in the room not to turn a blind eye to the fact that human trading is a reality in 2009 and that the lives of young children are being destroyed every day and so there is no time like the present to fight this fight.
Laila Ali - Mohammed Ali's daughter is competitive, articulate and passionate about making sure that girls are encouraged to express themselves and develop leadership skills through the Women's Sports Foundation. I was completely won over by her decades of commitment to this important cause and it was a thrill to have her accept the award from my sister and my favorite USC classmate Rodney Peete (who managed to work in his pride about the Trojans victory over Notre Dame yesterday in his award presentation along with reference to the importance sports plays in his wife's and his daughter's lives).
Kenny Edmonds - a music composer, received an award for writing a song 'Stand Up' that was the centerpiece of the 2008 'Stand Up to Cancer' television special which was aired simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC without commercial. More than $100 million was raised that evening and $75 million has just been awarded to five research centers. The audience was asked for a showing of hands of anyone whose lives have been personally touched by cancer in their families - 100% of the room was counted. He dedicated the award to his father, who he lost to cancer in 1972 when he was 12.
Morgan Freeman - this Academy Award winning actor was more than pleased to be accepting an award for his 'lifetime achievement' in dedicating time to charity work, particularly along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. He is a humble and lovely man.
Every speech referenced the fact that charity knows no skin color, age, religion, nationality or orientation. When we volunteer, we are one people and we are fighting for the human race.
The entertainment for the evening was all completely inspired - from Julio Iglesias Jr. to a poised 8 year old girl named Emily Bear playing her own piano composition to new B.E.T. star Monica and the hilarious Benji Madden - all of this was put together for a truly intimate dinner (and taped for future broadcast).
Having grown up in San Francisco and being told that L.A. is all fluff and shallow behavior, I found myself in a constant state of reality check listening to these intense speeches and genuine talents. Getting to meet each of them and looking in their eyes to thank them for their commitment and seeing the joy they received from being recognized as a humanitarian was the highlight of the event. It was the ultimate welcome to Los Angeles. Special thanks to the producers of the evening and to my host Jon Holman.
