Inaugural UNICEF Gala honors Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah, raises nearly half a million dollars

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - On Saturday evening, the Northwest Regional Office of UNICEF USA hosted the inaugural UNICEF Gala San Francisco at the iconic Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The event, featuring a special performance by DJ Eric Prydz, celebrated UNICEF’s lifesaving global mission and and honored UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah with the Spirit of Compassion Award. Since his appointment as UNICEF’s first Advocate for Children Affected by War in 2007, Ishmael has worked towards putting children first.
                                                          
Over the course of the evening, guests enjoyed remarks from CEO and President of UNICEF USA Caryl Stern, Northwest Regional Managing Director Emily Brouwer, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah, and Co-chair of the Northwest Regional Board Susanne Caballero.
 
Approximately 300 guests attended the gala raising nearly half a million dollars which will support UNICEF’s work for children around the world. Notable attendees included Ilya and Ewa Fushman (General Partner, Index Venture and Former Head of Product and Development for Dropbox), Russ Grandinetti (SVP International Consumer and Kindle, Amazon), Bryan and Tara Meehan (CEO, Blue Bottle Coffee), Jeff Weiner (CEO, LinkedIn) and Kendall Wilkinson (Principal, Kendall Wilkinson Interior Design).

UNICEF Gala San Francisco Chairs include Susanne Caballero and Nicholas A. Tedesco and the gala Committee includes Elena Marimo Berk (Northwest Regional Board Chair), Lisel Fay, Karla Gallardo, John Glass, Laurie Harden, John Jennison, Blair Palmer, Samantha Vinograd, Katrina Yulo and Dr. Janice Zakin.

The event featured a virtual reality bar with a menu of experiences showcasing UNICEF’s work in the field. Valentino was a lead sponsor.