It was a night full of star-studded celebrities, donations, and granting wishes at the fourth annual Make-A-Wish Wishing Well Winter Gala at the Palladium in L.A. on Wednesday (Dec. 7). Stars amongst the lineup of honorees and performers included Tori Kelly, media mogul Scooter Braun, X Ambassadors, Robert Downey Jr., Bush and more.
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The event emceed by Extra host Mario Lopez honored and awarded those who continue to make a difference within the charitable foundation and within children whose wishes were to meet celebrities like Downey Jr. It was also a fundraising event to grant more wishes for kids around the world that average around $10,000 per wish. Overall, the event alone raised $1 million through donations and a silent auction of various prizes, including Louis Vuitton sneakers worn by Justin Bieber.
For indie-rock band X Ambassadors, they were just happy to be able to spread joy to kids. “[Make-A-Wish] is one of those foundations we’ve known about for a while,” said keyboardist Casey Harris. “It’s really amazing that we are finally able to participate and give something to these kids and bring some joy into their lives.”
As X Ambassadors continue to spread the joy of giving, Tori Kelly recently granted a wish to a four-year-old named Brylee Holmes, who recently passed away following her battle with Batten’s Disease. In Brylee’s honor, Kelly took the stage to perform her song “Something Beautiful,” before presenting the humanitarian award to Scooter Braun.
The last award of the night went to Robert Downey Jr., who spoke of the perk that is playing his iconic character Tony Stark. “This is a great night. It’s one of those benefits of being in Marvel films,” Downey Jr. revealed. “Kids sometimes have this honest to God belief that I’m Tony Stark, so I play it up.”
Once all the awards and auctions were completed, British-rock band Bush took the stage for a semi-acoustic set comprised of their hits “Glycerine” and “Comedown.” By the end, everyone who was left was rushing toward the stage for pictures and a chance to see Bush up close and personal, free of charge.