We stopped into the IRC GenR summer party, supporting the Generation Rescue effort, in NYC.
In a nondescript Tribeca tower, a powerful group of people came together in supporting a critical cause: The International Rescue Committee. It was a festive event, celebrating GenR group’s progress in helping those affected by crisis, but took place in the shadow of a major humanitarian crisis taking place, indicating there is still work to be done. Guests at the event included Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie, Patina Miller, Deborah Ayorinde, Laura Osnes and Nikki M. James were just a few of the supporters who attended.
GenR, which stands for Generation Rescue, is includes humanitarians who have joined forces with the IRC to help people affected by crisis to survive and rebuild their lives. Proceeds from this event support the IRC’s critical humanitarian work, which includes an auction presented by Christie’s. Additional guests included Michelle Collins, Lauren Adams, Jackson Harris, Eric West, Brad Raider and Tashiana Washington. They all commended IRC for their commitment to the refugee situation, despite increasing opposition and complicated public relationships.
Lauren Adams, who stars on the hit Netflix series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt spoke about how “social media has really mobilized IRC in a good way. We can’t ignore the impact of social media and the immediacy of news, especially in refugee crises. IRC is tapping into that for good.”
We also spoke with the CEO of IRC, David Miliband, who spoke about the importance of IRC as a “nongovernmental actor”, which mobilizes a unique set of options in terms of assisting governments and, more importantly, refugees. Miliband speaks from a unique position having been on “the other side” of refugee negotiations and accommodation, given the fact he is the former foreign and commonwealth affairs secretary for the UK.
The party was a success, pulling both funding and awareness towards the noble mission of IRC.