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UNICEF
2011 Snowflake Ball |
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The Snowflake Ball.
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The 2011 UNICEF Snowflake Ball, held on Tuesday, November 29 at Cipriani 42nd Street honored Prudential and the Japan Committee for UNICEF for their commitment to saving and improving children's lives. The seventh annual black-tie gala, which raised more than $2,044,000 for UNICEF's lifesaving programs, was hosted by Andy Cohen and featured a special performance by Natasha Bedingfield. Sharon C. Taylor, Senior Vice President, Prudential Financial, Inc., and Chair, the Prudential Foundation, was presented with UNICEF's Spirit of Compassion Award for Prudential’s support of quality education programs and economic and civic development opportunities for children and families around the world.
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF presented the 2011 Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award to the Japan Committee for UNICEF's Executive Director, Ken Hayami. Hayami accepted the award — which is named for UNICEF's legendary Goodwill Ambassador — on behalf of all the UNICEF staff members who quickly and fearlessly responded to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year. The Japan Committee for UNICEF worked tirelessly to help thousands of children and families whose homes, schools and communities were destroyed.
The 2011 Snowflake Ball featured unique décor by HGTV star, award-winning architectural and interior designer Vern Yip, including half a mile of mosquito netting donated to the event by Vestergaard-Frandsen. The UNICEF Ambassador’s design represented the impact that the simple material has in combating mosquito-borne malaria in Africa — the predominant killer of African children — and reducing the number of children who die from preventable causes every day from 21,000 to zero.
The evening’s menu was specially created by UNICEF Ambassador Marcus Samuelsson and acclaimed Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, in addition to a live auction led by Hugh Hildesley of Sotheby’s. Notable auction items included a private dinner prepared by Marcus Samuelsson, and the opportunity to participate in a UNICEF Field visit to see firsthand the efforts of the K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks) project in Malawi — where 80 percent of children attend school in a classroom without furniture. The field visit also includes a pre-trip briefing with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who was inspired to work with UNICEF to create the K.I.N.D. project following a visit he made to Malawi.
Many UNICEF supporters attended the gala, including Natasha Bedingfield, Vera Farmiga, Angie Harmon, Kevin Jonas, Gayle King, Zoe Kravitz, Matt Lauer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mark Ruffalo, Marcus Samuelsson, Gillian Hearst Simonds, Uma Thurman, Brian Williams, Vern Yip, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jeff and Caryn Zucker, among others.
Christine Stonbely of the Stonbely Family Foundation served as Gala Chair of the evening. Town & Country Editor–at–Large Pamela Fiori and internationally recognized interior designer Charlotte Moss co-chaired the evening, with Barbara Bush and Maggie Betts serving as Gala Junior Chairs.
The hoisting of the UNICEF Snowflake — which hangs over the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City through autumn and winter — marks the beginning of the holiday giving season and serves as a reminder of UNICEF's commitment to reach a day when zero children die from preventable causes. The UNICEF Snowflake, donated by the Stonbely Family Foundation, was engineered and entirely handcrafted by designer Ingo Maurer and his team in Germany and is 23 feet in diameter, over 28 feet in height, weighs more than 3,300 pounds and uses 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms.
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UNICEF President and CEO Caryl Stern, Honoree Ken Hayami.
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Gala Chair Christine Stonbely.
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Host Andy Cohen.
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Hugh Hildesley.
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Sarah Jessica Parker.
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Geoffrey Zakarian, Margaret Zakarian.
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Marcus Samuelsson, Maya Haile.
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Uma Thurman.
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Natasha Bedingfield.
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Hilary Gumbel, Bryant Gumbel.
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Gillian Miniter, Sylvester Miniter.
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Matt Lauer.
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Vera Farmiga.
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Angie Harmon.
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Pamela Joyner.
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Kevin Jonas, Danielle Jonas.
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Sunrise Coigney, Mark Ruffalo.
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Adrien Brody.
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Vern Yip.
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Charlotte Moss.
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Ashley Sousa.
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Alicia Blythewood.
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Dayle Haddon.
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Naeem Khan, Ranjana Khan.
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Christian Simonds, Gillian Hearst Simonds.
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Mary Erdoes, Phillip Erdoes.
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Ishmael Beah, Guest.
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Alexandra Lebenthal, Claudia Lebenthal.
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Michael Appel, Jaime Jimenez.
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Zoe Kravitz.
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Gayle Conran.
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| Photos:
Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com |
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