Many Hopes, the charity dedicated to building homes and schools for children in Kenya—and creating sustainable local businesses to make themselves unnecessary in the long term—had its gala on Tuesday.
Celebrities at the Discover Many Hopes NYC Annual Gala at Canoe Studios on West 26th Street included Jessica Stam, Jeremy Penn, AnnaLynne McCord, Krysta Rodriguez, Jon Batiste, DJ Zeke Thomas, and Alice Callahan Thompson and her husband W. Kyser Thompson.
The celebrities are said to be big supporters of Many Hopes, and the amount raised exceeded the target, netting $400,877 for the charity.
Actress Alice Callahan Thompson, who along with her husband chaired one of the auctions, noted, ‘We believe the problem of street children in coastal Kenya is also the solution. I have been involved with this unique organization that rescues and empowers children and teens in Mtwapa, Kenya since 2011.
‘My husband and I have travelled to Kenya twice to visit and serve our kiddos and look forward to returning this December. We have witnessed that no one cares more about fighting for justice than those who have suffered injustice. Our oldest girl Brendah is in her second term in law school in Nairobi, as she resolved seven years ago when Many Hopes fought for her rights, that she, too, would fight for the rights of others.’
Batiste and Thomas provided the music for the evening. Penn had donated a painting of French actress Brigitte Bardot for the silent auction.