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In memory of John Ritter Jason Ritter presents Gavin B. Keilly a $100,000 cheque for the Guard-a-Heart Foundation

Giving back kindly for the MTV Movie Awards

Los Angeles correspondent Elva Zevallos reports GBK hits the right notes with its 2013 MTV Movie Awards Suite

Gavin B. Keilly and his philanthropically focused event planning company GBK ushered in another MTV Movie Awards by once again hosting an outstanding luxury gifting lounge. The stars in attendance shone, as did the charities and companies that sponsored the festivities, which were held on April 12 and 13 in the heart of Hollywood at the W Hotel. The motto of GBK is ‘Giving Back Kindly’ and the array of philanthropic organizations appearing at the invitation continued to exemplified how seriously GBK takes this philosophy.

Jason Ritter honored the memory of his father-beloved actor John Ritter by presenting a $100,000 cheque to the Guard-a-Heart Foundation. The focus of this non-profit is to fight heart disease by raising awareness and making prevention a lifestyle choice. Guard-a-Heart has teamed up with Avir Diagnostic Laboratories, which recently created a blood test that can predict the risk of contracting heart disease within the next five years.

Above Suzanne Lindley with Olympian Dorothy Hamill.

It is devastating to receive a cancer diagnosis, and it is worse if the diagnosis leads to feelings of hopelessness and isolation. For this reason, it was indeed a privilege to meet Suzanne Lindley, the founder of Yes! Beat Liver Tumors. Speaking with this beautiful and vibrant woman, it can be difficult to process that she herself has been battling colon cancer for more than 15 years. Not only has Lindley been fighting this illness but she has been helping others in their battle against cancer as well.

The purpose of Yes! Beat Liver Tumors as stated on their website is to ‘provide information, resources, support, and hope for anyone affected by liver tumors.’ One way that Yes! Beat Liver Tumors accomplishes this mission is by matching up people who have received this diagnosis with someone who has had the same diagnosis and survived or someone who has actually gone through the cancer treatments. Simply talking to someone who understands first-hand what the journey towards healing entails can indeed make the journey a little easier.

The other outstanding charities in attendance were My Life My Power, which works to combat drugs, alcohol, and bullying by working with kids, parents, and schools around the nation and Lambda Legal, which has been on the front lines in the fight for fair and equal treatment of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and those with HIV through education and litigation.

Also out in force was the Step 4 Paws dog rescue organizations and the Lopez Foundation, which provides awareness about kidney disease and organ donation. This charity also works to aid underprivileged children, adults, and military families with issues of education and health. The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation was on hand to raise funds to research a cure for juvenile diabetes.

The sponsors of GBK’s celebration of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards were impressive. Many were companies considered to be among the best in their specialty.

Top Robbie Jones with Sol Republic. Centre Jason Ritter and Dominic Barbar. Above Quvenzhane Wallis with ImPress Press-on Manicure by Broadway Nails.

Here are just a few of the most innovative stand-outs among the products and services showcased.

Sol Republic: this made-in-America company were the first to create customizable headphones and they come in an array of colours and styles, offering superior performance. (Yes, I tried them myself!) And in case you were wondering, this is indeed the company that manufactured the headphones that Michael Phelps wore when he was listening to music at the London Olympic Games. You know. Right before he broke all those records. For more info please go to their website,
www.solrepublic.com.

Barbar Hair Tools: I had the pleasure of speaking with Dominic Barbar, the founder of Barbar Hair Tools. He was there to present the Barbar Italy 4800 Ionic Dryer, which is the newest hair-drier in his product line. Don’t let the compact body style fool you. This professional drier, with its ionic charger, is strong and built to cut dry time in half while leaving hair soft and shiny. Because Lucire has a special affinity for products that benefit the environment, I had to ask Dominic about his Eco 8000 Eco-Friendly Blow Dryer. Dominic explained that this is the only drier on the market containing an eco-friendly heating element, one made of ceramic as opposed to metal, thus greatly reducing the amount of radiation emitted. I had the opportunity to try out this model for myself and I was pleased. Pleased with the sleek design and pleased that a product designed to be “kinder and gentler” to the environment, can still be powerful enough to get the job done without sacrificing time or performance. Sounds beautiful to me! For further information please visit www.barbarhairtools.com.

ImPress Press-on Manicure by Broadway Nails: not only was there a fun collection of nail décor as well as free manicures, but the Kiss Gradation Kits which give nails an ombre faded look also made their début.

Viva Diva Wines: this up-and-coming company showcased their varied offerings of moscato, pinot grigio and flavoured moscato such as strawberry and mango. Moscato wines are quickly rising in popularity with white wine enthusiasts and Viva Diva’s offerings justify this boost in interest. On a personal note, may I suggest their Moscato Mango. (You’ll thank me for this later. It’s delicious!)

Clockwise, from top left Viva Diva Wines. DJ Baby Chino. Christina Milian. Ray Liotta and Danny Trejo.

Other noteworthy product sponsors included video game developer 2K, Big Truck Brands, who gifted customized hats to attendees, BlingisTheNewBlack.com, offering crystal beaded or sequinned customized clothing and accessories, Cookie Connection gifting, you guessed it, cookies! The Headware offered head coverings made of stretchable materials that allowed for a variety of uses. Designer Skin, makers of luxury sunless tanning lotions; active-wear maker, Respect Your Universe; athletic equipment manufacturer, SKLZ also provided products. Jewellery sponsors included Infinite Jewelry Designs as well as Jade and Jasper.

You can’t have a GBK celebration without live music, and so for that reason, I was thrilled to see DJ Baby Chino perform at this event. He may be only ten years old, but his music selection proves that he can indeed spin with the best.

Finally, what’s a luxury gifting suite without luxury resort sponsors? GBK had two of the best with Sparkling Hills Resort, said to be the first resort to integrate Swarovski crystals in their physical design and Caribbean Living, which gifted an all-inclusive stay for two to the newest Hard Rock resort, destination Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

Stars in attendance included Ray Liotta, Danny Trejo, Eric Roberts, Christina Milian, Chuy Bravo, Charisma Carpenter, Quvenzhane Wallis (Oscar nominee for Beasts of the Southern Wild), Jason Ritter, Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead), Kenton Duty (Shake It Up), Jared Gilman (Moonrise Kingdom), RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Dot Marie Jones (Glee) Andy Dick, Kristin Bauer (True Blood, Once Upon a Time), Dorothy Hamill, Judith Shekoni (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2) George Lopez, Jillian Rose Reed (Awkward), Madison Hildebrand (Million Dollar Listing), Robbie Jones (Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor), and Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger.

GBK was formed in 2000 by Gavin B. Keilly. The Gift Lounge division of GBK donates 20 per cent of proceeds from vendors to at least one attending charity. Additionally, each participating charity receives a complete gift bag that can be auctioned off to raise money for their cause. A powerhouse in the event industry, GBK is the winner of multiple BizBash Media awards for Best Gift Bag. For further information about GBK please visit www.gbkproductions.com.

Above Kristin Bauer.



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Elva Zevallos is a correspondent for Lucire.