How Ryan Long Turned Hardship into a Life of Philanthropy and Created the City Summit & Gala

Today Ryan Long enjoys a successful career as the founder of the City Summit & Gala,  organizations that provide financial assistance to non-profits and help entrepreneurs excel in the industry by connecting them with innovative business leaders. And although he mingles with Hollywood A-listers like Ashton Kutcher, who are involved in his endeavors, Long’s lifestyle wasn’t always so glamorous.

Ashton Kutcher and Ryan Long

According to an article on the City Gala site, Long was beaten badly by his father at the age of five and his stepfather turned out to be so deleterious that his mother fled with him, his half-brother and stepdaughter for their safety.

Things got better for a short time, but during college, Long faced trouble again. He was bullied and handled the situation violently, which became the first of several run ins with authorities. It wasn’t until Long became a father that he decided it was time to turn his life around and after a series of failed nightclub businesses, Long came up with the idea for City Summit and Gala.

Now in its third year, the organizations host an annual glitzy gala that supports 9 beneficiary charities, which this year included: Already Always Amazing, Bright Futures Foundation, Feed A Billion, Fulfilled Families, Firelife Foundation, Project NOW, Conscious Capitalism, Child Liberation Foundation, and My Life My Power.

In addition, a high-profile celebrity serves as a keynote speaker and is recognized for their philanthropic work, and this year the honoree was Matthew McConaughy. The Oscar winner was presented with the Inspiration Award and talked about his foundation just keep livin, which empowers high school students to make responsible and healthy choices as adults.

Matthew McConaughey at City Gala Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

As Long excitedly made his way down the 90-foot red carpet outside of Universal Studios in Los Angeles, he exclusively talked to The Voluntourist about why McConaughey was chosen as this year’s recipient, as well as his life’s struggles and who he credits for his incredible success.

The Voluntourist: Can you talk about why you chose to honor Matthew McConaughey this evening?

Ryan Long: Of the motivational videos that I watch in the morning on the way to the gym or when I’m waking up early to start my day, there’s this clip of him giving a commencement speech at a college. He is so inspirational. Then I took a look at his foundation just keep livin, the work that he’s doing with high school students and under privileged kids is incredible. That’s why we decided to give him that inspiration honor.

[caption id="attachment_4313" align="alignnone" width="2145"] UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – MARCH 04: Actor Matthew McConaughey (L) and wife Camila Alves attend the City Gala 2018 at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 4, 2018 in Universal City, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)[/caption]

The Voluntourist: You could have gone into a completely different direction given the hardships you experienced early on in life. Why do you think you turned towards humanitarian efforts and giving back to others?

Ryan Long: I think undoubtedly it’s my family. I had been raised with the right framework of a conservative family. They taught me how to behave, they taught me manners and I was completely betraying who I was. If I turn guilt into something that drives me forward that I could say, “You know what never again. I’ll never be that scumbag human. I’ll never be that way.” So I made a decision that for the rest of my life it’s going to be about the service of other people instead of my own greedy crappy habits.

Ryan Long at City Gala Photo by: Steph Ritz Photography

The Voluntourist: What was the moment or incident that pushed you in that direction?

Ryan Long: I think it was breaking up with my fiancée and having a broken heart, being broke and I did a lot of self-reflection after that. I was just called and led to read books and the more that I read, the more that I wanted to read. They were all personal  development and self-help books. I just pumped myself full of that and it rewired from the inside out.

The Voluntourist: How did you go from being completely broke to where you are now?

Ryan Long: I just started dreaming big. Jack Canfield in The Success Principles, he talks about big dreams attract big people. I just started dreaming really big and the bigger I dreamt, the bigger the people arrived in my life. Now I have a network of wonderful people who will give, give, give and we continue to grow.

Ryan Long and Matthew McConaughey

The event had an variety of entertaining aspects such as a celebrity poker tournament, fashion show, live entertainment, dinner + open bar, and silent auction hosted by Charity Stars. The event also premiered the trailer for the feature film “Wishman” based on the life of Frank Shankwitz (Co-Founder of Make-A-Wish.) Finally, the Achievement Award was given to Dr. James Dentley (Co-Founder, NBC University) for his work mentoring thousands of students.

The evening’s sponsors included: Nova Wealth Management. Other sponsors included SnackNation, Brigade LA, Anton Jae Global, NBC University, Allure Events, Secret Knock, The Celebrity Installer, One One 77 Creative Studio, Shared Success, The Income Store, and Fuel.

For more information please visit City Gala and City Summit