She Ready Foundation Toasts to its 1st Annual “Prom Gala — A Night Under the Stars” with Tiffany Haddish, Paris Hilton, and Snoop Dogg
On Friday, May 19, 2023, from 6 – 11 PM at The Beehive by SoLa Impact Campus, Tiffany Haddish’s She Ready Foundation presented the 1st annual “Adult Prom Gala — A Night Under the Stars.” In honor of Foster Care Awareness Month, this charitable event catered to youth impacted by foster care, with proceeds going towards luggage, scholarships, paid summer internships, tutoring, advocacy, and other resources for foster youth. With over $200,000 raised, the gala provided a pop-up prom experience for invite-only guests. “I know so many adults in the business that never got to go to Prom, so I wanted to give them a chance to act like teenagers and go to prom for a meaningful cause,” Tiffany said.
Guests arrived adorned in glorious gowns and tailored suits, ready to celebrate Prom and raise money while doing it. The venue resembled a starry night with a blue carpet entrance, matching corsages and boutonnieres, a traditional Coca-Cola peach mixer spiked punch bowl, and prom pics.
Tiffany Haddish hosted the star-studded fête while, upon arrival, her guests enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres in preparation for Chef D’s phenomenal plated entree dinner. The ambiance of laughter from overflowing cocktails and delicious fare led to a dessert bar curated by CWC with hot mini peach cobblers in hand demand.
The program began with Executive Director Dr. Thyonne Gordon, who passionately spoke of foster care statistics before presenting She Ready Foundation Interns Aaminah Parker and Nathaniel Patterson with the intro “Let’s have our young people speak for themselves.” Mr. Patterson spoke of finding his voice in the program and served as the announcer for the night’s festivities, while Ms. Parker told of the support system that she found that felt like family. Former National Baseball League athlete Micah Johnson’s team presented the youth with limited edition Beats by Dre Headsets and announced a new partnership with She Ready Foundation to distribute backpacks and supplies at the start of the school year. The positive influence from the interns and the new bountiful relationship set the scene for the live auction action.
Actor/comedian Lil Rel Howery won an Ashanti Kingdom package, and Jimmy Kimmel bid the highest on a painting made by Ms. Haddish on her first date with her former boyfriend, Common. A tour of Jay Leno’s garage and dinner for six with Tiffany were all part of the enthralling live auction led by Subyn Novelle. Comedians Jo Koy and Bert Kreishner hyped up the audience by matching funds.
During this Prom event, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and speaker Dr. George C. Fraser; American businesswoman Lisa Frank; and culture critic and social media personality Jason Lee were honored and presented with prestigious awards acknowledging their contributions and triumphs. The awards included certificates of honor from Mayor Karen Bass and Council Districts 8, 9, and 10 and custom-created vases from the nonprofit, Piece by Piece which teaches the unhoused artful technique of taking pieces of broken glass to create beauty.
After the remarkable programming wrapped, suit coats and heels came off as Tiffany and friends partied the night away to live entertainment by chart-topping singer Mario, nationally acclaimed DJ Disco and the Wylde Bunch, and live DJ set by Paris Hilton and surprise guest Snoop Dogg – both gifting the organization 20k from their respective companies — 11:11 Media and Death Row Productions. The climax of offerings came from the first-ever real estate company built on a blockchain, EstateX, that donated a lifetime of financial literacy to She Ready Foundation’s youth.
There were gift bag giveaways with products from The Body Butters and exclusive brand activations from Afro Unicorn and Inner City Arts. As an ode to the night, an art activation of a 5×5 foot keepsake prom canvas named “Prom 2023” from artist Aaron Stansberry caused an emotional scene as Tiffany gazed over all of the heartfelt signed messages with tears in her eyes.
ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, “Party Animal” comedian Bert Kreischer, 2024 U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Barak Zilberberg, The Underground Railroad’s Emmy-nominated Mychal-Bella Rayne Bowman, Premiere Stand-Up comedian Jo Koy, The Daily Show’s Dulcé Sloan, Get Out actor/comedian Lil Rel Howery, Wednesday’s Child Christine Devine, Real Husbands of Hollywood’s creator/writer /producer/comedian Chris Spencer, and L.A.’s Finest’s Duane Martin were a sampling of She Ready’s famous faces in attendance.
“Prom Gala — A Night Under the Stars” was executive produced by Dr. Thyonne Gordon and Casey Thomas, associate produced by Allayah Beamon and Curtisha Thomas in collaboration with She Ready Foundation board members, and décor by Pink Bliss Events.
On behalf of the She Ready Foundation, a most sincere thank you goes out to all the charity guests who purchased tickets for the gala. Sponsors include UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Kovert Creative, Boxer Property, JSSK, Afro Unicorn, Lakers Foundation, and Belse Wines. In-kind donations include Coca-Cola, Smart Water, Neft Vodka, EstateX, CMT Solution, Ashanti Kingdom, Jay Leno, Patrick Jones Gallery, Aaron Stansberry, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, LA Tribune, LA Sentinel, Inner City Arts, and Elevate Tequila who helped make all things possible for the organization.
Tiffany Haddish and her She Ready Foundation hold their glasses high, celebrating their freshman fundraiser success, and look forward to creating more foster care awareness in 2024.
*To learn more about the organization or to donate, go to www.shereadyfoundation.org and visit @SheReadyFoundation on Instagram. #shereadyfoundation #Promanightunderthestars #tiffanyhaddish #shereadyfoundationpromgala
ABOUT She Ready Foundation: Tiffany Haddish knows all too well what it’s like to move from home to home in the middle of the night with all her belongings packed in garbage bags feeling like the world has forgotten about her. That’s why she created the She Ready Foundation to empower, support and encourage children living in the foster care system, serving as the voice of foster children suffering in silence. Adopting the belief of its founder that “Every child who is removed from their parents deserves to have a suitcase, a safe place to lay their head, and a platform to follow their dreams,” She Ready Foundation aspires to help make this happen through collaborative partnerships.
