For Carousel of Hope Ball chairs Barbara Davis and her daughter Dana Davis, the 36th edition of the glamorous, high-profile fundraising event was worth the wait. Normally held every other year, 2020’s was of course put on ice.
But the warmth and goodwill garnered in the interim was shining through at the Beverly Hilton Saturday night as Oscar-winner Diane Keaton was honored with the Brass Ring Award and EGOT winner John Legend was the headline performer.
The mood among the black tie-clad guests was doubly ebullient, not only because of the more than $1.7 million raised for the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, but because everyone in attendance got to sing happy birthday to Davis and celebrate her pioneering work in the field.
The Carousel of Hope Ball has been a Hollywood institution since 1978, started by Barbara and her late husband Marvin Davis after their daughter Dana was diagnosed with diabetes and Marvin said, “Fix it.” And that they did. To date, the event has raised more than $110 million.
This year’s emcee was Howie Mandel, who joked about his well-known germophobia being perfect for the occasion and that it was one of the few times he’s performed live since the pandemic. It was his first time in the role, which has been held by Jay Leno in the past.
Keaton received her award from Loretta Devine, who extolled her philanthropic commitments that bring the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center one step closer to finding a cure– the so-called brass ring – for diabetes, which affects more than 463 million people worldwide.
After a clip reel of career highlights, Keaton lauded Barbara Davis for being an inspiration, as did performers Andy Grammer and Deborah Cox, who both received enthusiastic applause after their musical performances.
A piano rolled out for Legend, who began his set with a rapturous version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancin’ in the Dark” and closed with his now iconic “All of Me.”
As it does every time, this year’s Ball brought together luminaries from the world of music, television, film and business to raise awareness – and lots of money – for diabetes research and clinical care.
Among the guests were Ed Begley Jr., Amanda Booth, Jamie Brewer, Shannon Dang, Janice Dickinson, Julie Ann Emery, Josh Flagg, Berry Gordy, Kathy & Rick Hilton, Dr. Robert Huizenga, Jimmy Jam, Charlie Kimball, Nigel Lythgoe, Krys Marshall, AnnaLynne McCord, Lyndon Smith, Daniel Sunjata, Linda Thompson, Ann Turkel and Richard Weitz.
The 2022 Carousel of Hope Ball was presented by Dexcom, with additional sponsorship support generously provided by American Airlines, the Official Airline of The Carousel of Hope, The Beverly Hilton, Marlyn & Robert Day, and Variety. The event’s veteran production team also included Clive Davis, George Schlatter and Quincy Jones.
