No event brings the worlds of fashion and Broadway together better than the annual Golden Heart Awards, which were held Monday night at the historic Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side. The event is the annual fundraiser for God’s Love We Deliver, who are notably celebrating their 40 anniversary this year. Since 1985, the organization has been cooking and home-delivering medically tailored meals to individuals affected by severe and chronic illness.
This year’s awards honored Anne Hathaway and Audra McDonald and welcomed event co-chair Michael Kors and honorary chairwoman, Anna Wintour, Chloë Sevigny, Ben Platt, Gigi Hadid, Mark Ronson, Grace Gummer, Patina Miller, Huma Abedin, Lynda Carter, James Corden, Joy Woods, Rosie Perez, Tamron Hall, Zoey Deutch, John Idol, Blaine Trump, and more for another night of memorable moments.
Terrence Meck, Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald and Michael Kors (Getty Images for God’s Love We Deliver)
The evening kicked off with cocktails and a performance of “Sunday” by J. Harrison Ghee and the cast of the hit off-Broadway show, Saturday Church, which features music by Sia. The event’s co-chair and the longtime guardian angel of God’s Love We Deliver, Michael Kors, welcomed guests and introduced McDonald, who received the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Philanthropy, Artistry, and Activism.
“This year it’s amazing we are celebrating 40 years of God’s Love We Deliver,” Kors said. 40 years of service, dedication, selflessness, and impact. A lot has changed in 40 years and yet God’s Love Mission has never wavered. In fact, the mission has only grown. What started as one woman delivering meals on her bicycle to a man dying of AIDS.”
“Audra is a trailblazer in every sense of the word, “Kors said when honoring McDonald. “Her talent is boundless. A Broadway icon through and through. She is also a film and television star and a critically acclaimed operatic soprano. She has won six, count them, six Tony awards. More than any other performer in history. She is the only person on the planet to have won that award in all four acting categories!… Maybe the most remarkable thing about her though is that as big as her talent is, her heart truly is bigger. A rock solid commitment to helping others, to living her values and for using her influence for the greater good runs through everything she does.”
While accepting her award, McDonald sang a few beautiful notes of an Irish blessing. “ God’s Love reminds us that compassion is not passive,” she said. “It isn’t pity. It’s a daily practice.”
The night’s other honoree, Anne Hathaway’, received her award for or Outstanding Philanthropy & Volunteerism from her pal Gigi Hadid . “As a longtime fan of Annie’s, the most beautiful thing of becoming her friend is knowing that the virtues and magic that make us feel connected to her onscreen are even more vivid in real life,” Hadid said.
Hathaway humorously thanked Anna Wintour for having a great sense of humor, a nod to her role as Annie in Devil Wears Prada, which was famously inspired by the Vogue legend, and Gigi’s boyfriend Bradley Cooper, who provided cheesesteaks from his company, Danny & Coop’s for the event. “To live in New York, you have to have heart. Tons of it! Oceans of it. The most epic heart in the city is on Spring [Street] and Sixth {Avenue]!” This the address of God Love’s Soho HQ where the Michael Kors building houses a state-of-the-art, 9,600 sq. foot kitchen and welcomes more than 10,000 volunteers every year.
Ben Platt, a former Golden Heart honoree and Tony winner, closed the night with three songs. He began with I Dreamed A Dream, an homage to to Hathaway’s Oscar winning role in Les Mis, followed by Maybe This Time from Cabaret, dedicated to McDonald, who has performed the song over the years. Platt ended the evening with Somewhere over the Rainbow.
The evening was produced and directed by Erich Bergen and also featured a lively auction led by The Fundraising Guy, Harry Santa-Olalla. The event raised more than raised more than $4 million. Love delivered!
Anna Wintour (Gettty Images)
Gigi Hadid (Getty Images)
J. Harrison Ghee (Getty Images)
Chloë Sevigny (Getty Images)
Erich Bergen (Getty Images)
Lynda Carter (Getty Images)
Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer (Getty Images)
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