Charities rely on donations to stay afloat and continue the good work they do – one of the best (and most fun!) ways for charities to fundraise is through celebrity events. There are loads of celebrities who are looking to give back and help those in need however they can, and events are a great way for celebrities to assist the charities they care about.
Celebrity Poker Showdown
You may not have heard about it, but Celebrity Poker Showdown was a hit reality TV show that ran for five seasons in the 00s. Every season was a standalone tournament that featured 25 celebrities duking it out to get to the top of the poker pyramid. The best part about it? All the proceeds went to charity.
The tournaments were won by Nicole Sullivan, Maura Tierney, Seth Meyers, Mekhi Phifer, Brad Garrett, Kathy Najimy, Steven Culp and Jason Alexander. Some of the celebrities enjoyed playing poker so much that they continued to play in national and international tournaments.
Another country which has had a number of famous celebrity poker players is Russia. Russia is increasingly a hotspot for online gambling and many Russians are now trying out online poker on online casino information portals such as Casinotopsonline.com/ru, which some find more glamourous and fun than playing poker in brick-and-mortar casinos across Russia. While there has not yet been a Russian version of Celebrity Poker Showdown released, it may only be a matter of time as poker is becoming increasingly popular across the country.
The Met Gala
At this point, the Met Gala has become so famous that most people forget that it is, technically, a charity event. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) raised $17.4m this year from the gala and hit a new record.
To be more specific, the annual gala raises money to fund the Costume Institute of the Met. If you have ever been to the Met, you have likely seen the exhibits on topics such as American fashion through the decades and fashion in Hollywood.
While the Met Gala used to be a somewhat more relaxed affair, it is now one of the biggest celebrity and fashion events of the year as stars attempt to outdo one another with wondrous outfits that are inspired by a particular theme or topic. Tickets cost $35,000 each and entire tables go for $200,000, so those fashion exhibits must be something!
Hot Pink Party
Although Hot Pink Parties are still relatively small, they are growing in popularity after Vogue sponsored one a few years ago. Hot Pink Parties are galas or evening parties in which funds from the tickets that are sold go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
These Hot Pink Party events are hosted in all the biggest cities in the US and some of the biggest parties have featured incredibly opulent, fun and glamourous settings – all in hot pink of course!
Carousel of Hope Ball
This biennial ball benefits the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Centre for Childhood Diabetes and truly, what could be a better cause than that? The ball is typically held in an extremely luxurious location in Beverly Hills and features a star-studded attendee list, awards for humanitarian efforts and a red-carpet entrance. The last ball raised $110m which all went towards finding a cure for childhood diabetes.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation Gala
Everyone knows that Make-A-Wish does amazing work, and effective fundraising is one way in which the magic of the Make-A-Wish foundation is made possible. The Make-A-Wish Foundation Gala is held annually in Los Angeles, and both raises money and celebrates the children and families who have benefited from the Foundation’s work.
The 2018 gala was the 35th anniversary of the Foundation itself and the gala had over 800 celebrity guests attending to help make the dreams of sick kids come true.
Hearts of Reality
Reality stars are often the butt of jokes, but they work incredibly hard and are just as dedicated and willing to give back as other celebrities. The annual Heart of Reality event fundraises specifically for children experiencing life-threatening illnesses around the world through the Give Kids the World charity.
Participating stars fundraise online for months before the event and many of them make personal donations as well. For the weekend of the event, fans who donate a certain amount to the cause can head to Florida and spend time with their favorite reality stars during various events, dinners and parties.