New York City’s Capitale exuded Saturday Night Fever on a Wednesday for the annual ACE Gala.
The Association of Community Employment (ACE), founded by Henry Buhl, is known for its unwavering commitment to creating a lifetime of support for those with a history of homelessness, addiction, or incarceration.
Hosted by “America’s Number One Gossip Columnist” Rob Shuter and nationally known psychotherapist Robi Ludwig, the night kicked off with a cocktail hour in the lobby. Honorees walked the carpet in their finest Saturday Night Fabulousness, but the star of the show was the semi-Elvis impersonator whose skirt doubled as a cocktail table.
After the dazzling hour, guests were ushered into the grand ballroom, and the program began. Throughout the night, honorees included publishing extraordinaire and producer Barbra Tober, philanthropically involved president of the Auxiliary of NYU Medical Center Donna Soloway, and nurse Colleen Hess. All three were recognized for their devotion to aiding NYC homelessness.
The middle of the night was the absolute highlight as ACE broke the record for the most amount of money raised at their gala. When the donation bidding began, auctioneer Gabriel Butu mentioned the goal for the night was to raise $100,000. It was raised in less than two minutes.
Bidding paddles (and an anonymous donor) flew through the air until they raised over $300,00, tripling their goal for the night. ACE raised another tens of thousands when auctioning off tickets to the U.S. Open, Thomas Laird’s Murals of Tibet, Annie Lebowitz’s The Power and The Glory, a luxury vacation in Mexico, and Alfred Eisentaedt’s Marlene Dietrich.
Closing out the night was a stellar performance by The New York BeeGees, performing all of the 70s classics like “More Than a Woman,” “Stayin’ Alive,” and “Night Fever.” Everyone got on the floor and danced the night away for a good cause.
Check out ways to get involved with ACE here.
