BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg and honorary chair Rita Wilson attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg Help Raise $1.5 Million for Breast Cancer Research
Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, along with WCRF co-founders Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, and Jamie Tisch welcomed guests to An Unforgettable Evening presented by Saks Fifth Avenue. The event returned to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, with proceeds benefitting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Tom Ford, Rita Wilson, and Steven Spielberg attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)
Hosted by Emmy® Award-winning host, writer, and producer James Corden, the evening included a dinner, an awards presentation and musical performance. Tom Ford presented the Nat King Cole Award to Grammy and Academy Award-winning recording artist and actor Jennifer Hudson for her ongoing philanthropic work around women’s issues.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Jennifer Hudson and James Corden attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)
Award winning actress and entrepreneur Sofia Vergara accepted the 2018 Courage Award from Honorary Chair Rita Wilson for her continued support and dedication to raising awareness for cancer research in all its forms.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Honoree Sofia Vergara accepts the Courage Award onstage during WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
The Modern Family star beat cancer almost two decades ago and talked about her with reporters.
“I think the important thing, when you get lucky like me, that it was something that didn’t have to kill me, then to do stuff like this, to support causes like this that help find the research. We need money. Money is what is needed to fund research. That’s why we’re all here tonight. It’s amazing that everybody comes together and give hope to people that are sick, because they know that that’s what they need. They need research and more people caring so that we finally find a cure to all these cancers.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Joe Manganiello (L) and Courage Award recipient Sofia Vergara attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
Inside the event, Vergara explained what it meant to be recognized for her work in fighting cancer.
“It’s an honor for me to be here tonight to continue raising awareness for the cancer research. Hopefully all of us gathered in here can inspire others to fight for advancing cancer research… My personal experience with cancer 18 years ago made me passionate about cancer research and one of my greatest joys is working with the wonderful research team at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Courage Award recipient Sofia Vergara attends WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
Continuing her speech to the A-list crowd, she said, “Just this month actually I was contacted by a family in Columbia with a son that needed an urgent bone marrow transplant and the doctors in Columbia had the technology to do it, but they couldn’t provide the proper quality after care following the procedure and the people from St. Jude’s transported the child and his family immediately, like after a week they were here and they were able to start the treatment. This child and the many other children that I have met at St. Jude’s tell me that there’s no age limit for courage so I accept this award tonight as a way to honor the courage of all of you here in this room that have shown for supporting this great cause.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Pitbull performs onstage during WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
In addition, Grammy-Award winning, multiplatinum international icon, Pitbull, brought the 305 to the Unforgettable Evening stage for a special performance, and closed the evening with an 11-song medley including his hits “Give Me Everything,” “Don’t Stop The Party,” “Fireball,” and “I Know You What Me.” The event raised over $1.5 million for the cause.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: (L-R) Kate Capshaw, Pitbull and Steven Spielberg attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WCRF)
Additional guests in attendance included Debbie Allen, Julie Bowen, Alexa Dell, Lisa Eisner, Tom Ford, Ashley Hart, Jessica Hart, Maz Jobrani, Lisa & David Klein, Rachel Lauder, Lisa Kudrow, Monique Lhuillier, Lori Loughlin & Olivia Jade, Loni Love, Joe Manganiello, Natalie Martinez, Tamara Mellon, Jennifer Meyer, Candace Nelson, Irena Medavoy, Alex Pettyfer, Stephanie Pratt, Lois Robbins, Jennifer Tilly, Jon & Lizzie Tisch, Alexandra von Fürstenberg, David Walton & Majandra Delfino, and more.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Lori Loughlin attends WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue on February 27, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for WCRF)
An Unforgettable Evening is the flagship fundraising event for WCRF featuring extraordinary honorees, tributes to cancer survivors and the memory of those impacted by cancer. For over 20 years, this event has brought together leaders in entertainment, cancer research and corporate philanthropy in raising funds for pioneering cancer research conducted at leading medical and academic institutions in Los Angeles and throughout the nation. Previous Unforgettable Evening Honorees have included Natalie Cole, Courteney Cox, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Renette Ezralow, Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, Sir Elton John, Nicole Kidman, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Gwyneth Paltrow and Stella McCartney.
Saks Fifth Avenue generously supported WCRF to present An Unforgettable Evening for the 14th time. Over the last 18 years, Saks has donated nearly $40 million to cancer research and treatment organizations throughout the United States. de GRISOGONO and ALLEVEN provided additional support for the event.
ABOUT WOMEN’S CANCER RESEARCH FUND (@wcrfcure)
The Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, supports innovative research, education and outreach directed at the development of more effective approaches to the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of women’s cancers. Visit www.wcrfcure.org for more information.
ABOUT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (@bcrfcure)
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is dedicated to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. This year, BCRF will award $59.5 million to support the work of more than 275 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 15 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide. BCRF is the highest rated breast cancer organization in the U.S.-the only one with an “A+” from CharityWatch and Charity Navigator’s highest rating of four stars. Visit www.bcrf.org for more information.