Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy @ the 32nd Annual Race To Erase MS Gala.Photo Credit: Getty Images
On Friday, May 16th, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) advocate and Center Without Walls founder Nancy Davis welcomed guests to the Fairmont Century Plaza for the 32nd Annual Race to Erase MS Gala. The event raised over $1.5 million to benefit the Race to Erase MS and its Center Without Walls program, a collaboration of top MS research centers working together as a team on groundbreaking research with the goal of treating and, ultimately, finding a cure for MS. The star-studded event, hosted by Caroline Rhea, featured performances by Robin Thicke, A Great Big World and Siedah Garrett. Veronica Beard kicked off the evening with a fashion presentation featuring models showing off the latest collection in a runway show.
Guests at this year’s landmark event included Race to Erase MS Founder Nancy Davis, host Caroline Rhea, performers A Great Big World, Robin Thicke and Siedah Garrett, designer and co-founder of Veronica Beard Veronica Swanson Beard, and other special guests including Ashley Benson & Brandon Davis, Third Eye Blind’s Brad Hargreaves, Brian Austin Green & Sharna Burgess, Britt Stewart, Camerone Elise Parker, Carmen Electra, Christine Devine, Cristina Ferrare, Daniella Karagach & Pasha Pashkov, David Faustino, Diane Warren, Elex Michaelson, Erik Estrada, Eva LaRue, Ezra Sosa, Faye Resnick, Frances Fisher, Francesca Capaldi, Georgie Flores, Gregory Zarian, Heather & Terry Dubrow, Ioan Gruffudd, Jay Huguley, Jenna Johnson & Val Chmerkovskiy, Jennifer Tilly, Kathy & Rick Hilton, Katie Cassidy, Kelly Osbourne, Larry Namer, Larsen Thompson, Lauren Kettering, Lex Scott Davis, Lisa Vidal, Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Peta Murgatroyd, Mindy Cohn, Natasha Graziano, Nichelle Hines, Radha Mitchell, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Robert Shapiro, Roger Love, Sebastian Topete, Shaun Robinson, Skye Peters, Stephen Huszar, Teala Dunn, Thelma Houston, Tika Sumpter, Tommy & Dee Hilfiger, Tyler Posey, Will Peltz and more!
Nancy Davis wore the stunning Veronica Beard Bead-Trim Flores Maxi Dress with the Veronica Beard Alessia Pearl-Trim Sequin Jacket for the event, while other notable guests including Ashley Benson, Caroline Rhea, Frances Fisher, Georgie Flores, Larsen Thompson, Lex Scott Davis, Lisa Vidal, Nichelle Hines, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Siedah Garrett, Tika Sumpter among others also donned various silhouettes from Veronic Beard.
Founder Nancy Davis took the stage, thanking guests for their continued support and celebrating Race to Erase MS in its 32nd year of raising critical research funding. “Thank you for being there for me when I needed someone to lean on, supporting me in the biggest and most important way, and bringing us to where we are today with so many miracle medications on the market. We all need each other to lean on until we succeed in finding the cause and the ultimate cure for MS. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Davis.
David Faustino introduced musical guest and Grammy Award-winning pop duo A Great Big World, who performed their hit single “Say Something.” Chad King also debuted a song about his MS journey, which received a standing ovation. Dancing with the Stars pros Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov took the stage next to entertain guests with a dance number followed by singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett who sang “Man in the Mirror” and “You are the Universe.”
Five-time Grammy Award nominee and diamond-selling performer Robin Thicke, introduced by Kelly Osbourne, headlined the evening with a feature performance that had everyone on their feet, including his popular songs “Blurred Lines,” “Lost Without U,” “Magic,” and “Take Me Higher,” along with a cover of “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” As in years past, an uplifting rendition of “Lean On Me” was performed as the finale of the evening by Siedah Garrett and Thelma Houston during which she invited audience members to join her onstage to close out the special evening.
The event also hosted a luxurious live auction, which featured one-of-a-kind opportunities including a three-night stay at luxury resort in Aspen, Colo., The Little Nell, along with two round-trip flights on Aero and a $500 gift voucher for Catch Steak Aspen; a yellow gold diamond pendant from RobinHood Diamonds; a four-night private yacht charter with a crew and gourmet chef in Nassau, Bahamas; a three-night Irish countryside getaway with Chef Catherine Fulvio at the Ballyknocken Farmhouse & Cookery School, along with a 250,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan with over 30 global partners; an invitation for two to attend Kathy Hilton’s annual holiday pajama party; an original RETNA painting and more.
Presenting sponsors of the event included Fairmont Century Plaza, Veronica Beard, and Associated Television International with product sponsors Adam Vodka, G.H. Mumm Grand Brut Champagne, Hafner Vineyards, Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyards, Sanpellegrino and Acqua Panna Fine Dining Waters.
Race to Erase MS was founded in 1993 by Nancy Davis and is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. Since the Race to Erase MS foundation was created, there has been more than $58 million raised and 24 FDA approved therapies created to aggressively fight MS that have provided hope, inspiration, and resources to those in the Multiple Sclerosis community. The gala directly benefits the foundation’s Center Without Walls program, a unique collaboration between the world’s leading MS research scientists and investigators who have bolstered their individual efforts into collective action that has led to exciting discoveries in the search for a cure.
The Center Without Walls program currently includes physicians, scientists, and clinicians from Cedars-Sinai, UCSF, Harvard, Yale, Oregon Health Science University, Johns Hopkins, UCLA and USC. The Race to Erase MS Gala has been instrumental in funding pilot studies that have contributed to drugs now on the market and other very important therapies that are improving the lives of people worldwide suffering from MS.
Follow on Instagram: @RaceToEraseMS and visit online to donate erasems.org
