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Community Corner

Rubbing Elbows with A-Listers for a Good Cause

On Monday, the Worldwide Orphans Foundation — headquartered in Maplewood — held its 7th annual fundraising gala in Manhattan. I was lucky enough to be there.

Lucky Number 7.

That’s the phrase Maplewood resident Dr. Jane Aronson used to describe the annual fundraiser gala on November 14 for her charitable organization, Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO). Lucky, an apt word to describe so many aspects of this fun-filled, celebrity-studded, and charitable night out in downtown NYC.

Monday’s gala was the seventh that WWO has held. In years past, supporters and attendees of the event have included Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, Rosie O’Donnell and Mary Louise Parker. So when my friend Parinaz Cole (South Orange resident and Special Events Manager at WWO) asked if I wanted to be a volunteer for the evening, I jumped at the chance. Lucky me, to be rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities; okay, maybe not rubbing shoulders but standing in the same room at least — still lucky!

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As I stood in the gorgeous ballroom at Cipriani on Wall Street, indeed I did feel lucky. Standing no more than 50 feet away from me were many famous Hollywood folks, including Amy Poehler and Will Arnett (the evening’s hosts), Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield and Kyle MacLachlan.

Watching Amy and Will address the crowd and trade jibes to the amusement of the attendees, it was easy for me to imagine that I might be lucky enough to be attending some sort of Hollywood Awards Ceremony — the Oscars, the Emmys, etc. And then Amy welcomed Dr. Aronson (Dr. Jane as she is known) to the stage to give her keynote address. Immediately the mood switched from silly hilarity to quiet reverence.

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As she spoke, I was quickly moved to tears by Dr. Jane’s words. Her passion for her cause, the work she has done around the world to change the lives of children who would otherwise have no hope for a promising future, and the commitment of others who have supported the foundation over the years were nothing less than inspiring. In particular, Dr. Jane honored her mentor who passed away earlier this year, Edward J. Phillips.

Mr. Phillips, a business mogul, was the WWO’s first major investor and a significant presence in Dr. Jane’s life until his passing. “WWO is deeply honored to recognize my mentor and business mogul, Eddie Phillips,” said Dr. Jane. “He invested in me as a budding CEO and then in WWO. We are eternally grateful for his commitment to our organization. Eddie played a large role in making WWO the innovative organization that it is today.” Lucky for Dr. Jane to have met this man.

Knowing that I lack the kind of deep pockets that Mr. Phillips and other moneyed New Yorkers attending this event have (tickets went for a minimum of $1,000/person), I struggled to think how I might be able to help children in need around the world, not realizing at that moment how lucky I was to be able to give in another way to help this cause — volunteering my time.

Before moving on to a live auction, Dr. Jane asked a young Serbian lady named Maya to join her at the podium. Maya, the first orphan that the WWO helped, graduated from college this year. Maya embraced Dr. Jane as though she were her mother. It was a moving moment that surely must have made Maya feel lucky; I certainly felt lucky to be witnessing this intimate scene between two amazing people.

As the event moved from speeches to a very lively auction, I witnessed many people of privilege spending tens of thousands of dollars to help the WWO. Auction items included highly coveted but extremely hard to get tickets to Saturday Night Live; an all-inclusive trip for eight to a hotel and spa in Bordeaux, France; tickets to Hugh Jackman’s Broadway show, “Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway” (including a meet and greet with Hugh himself!); and tickets to sit in Eli Manning’s personal box seats at Giant stadium — the winners of all of these items were being called lucky by many in the room!

As the guests left, the other volunteers and I helped the WWO staff break down the centerpieces and load up materials to drive back to the WWO’s headquarters in Maplewood. It was hard work, particularly when I had been on my feet all night and had to get up early the next day to get the kids to school on time, but it was more than worthwhile.

While packing up the party and bemoaning my achy feet, I counted all of the many ways I had been lucky on this night:

1. I was bringing home a great swag bag.

2. I was close enough to touch some amazing celebrities (though etiquette dictated that I couldn’t actually touch them).

3. I was a part of an amazing evening that raised an estimated $1.4 million* to help orphans all over the world.

4. Most significantly, I got to take a picture with, be inspired by, and share an evening with one amazing humanitarian — Dr. Jane Aronson.

Thanks, Dr. Jane, for all of your hard work. Maplewood is lucky to call you one of its own!

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About the WWO

Maplewood resident founded the WWO in 1997 with the mission of transforming “the lives of orphaned children around the world by addressing their unique needs in their own countries through medical, developmental, psychosocial and educational programs.” Based in Maplewood, the WWO has established humanitarian programs globally for orphans.

*Final figures were not available as of this posting.

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