On Monday, Feb. 11, the National CARES Mentoring Movement presented its fourth annual For the Love of Our Children Gala at the Ziegfield Ballroom in New York City. The organization, founded by Susan L. Taylor, the aims to provide guidance and mentorship to impoverished and oft-neglected youngsters in our community. The money raised through the annual gala helps support the nonprofit’s mentorship initiatives designed to help our defenseless children and young adults heal from the trauma of the societal neglect and relentless violence that are part of their everyday lives and to give them the principles and practices they need to tap into their resilience to override the crises they are facing.

The star-studded fundraiser was hosted by the vivacious journalist and television personality Tamron Hall and the Georgetown University professor and New York Times writer Michael Eric Dyson, and there was a special appearance by the gala’s honorary chairperson, 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Alicia Keys, straight from her stint hosting the 2019 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles the previous evening. This year’s honorees included Broadway and film actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson (wife of Samuel L. Jackson) and sisters Cheryl McKissack Daniel and Deryl McKissack of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest African-American-owned architectural and engineering firm in the United States. Notable guests included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, singer-songwriter Maxwell, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson,  journalist Roland Martin, TV personality Bevy Smith and Fashion Bomb Daily’s Claire Sulmers.

The evening culminated with a fashion show finale showcasing the exceptional creations of young designers from the High School of Fashion Industries in New York City. Dao Yi-Chow and Maxwell Osborne of the hip fashion label Public School, products of the New York City public school system, introduced the segment and announced the creation of the Fashion Community CARES Scholarship Fund, a new scholarship that will help offset the financial barriers that many young urban designers face in furthering their education.

Check out our coverage of EBONY’s Brand Ambassador Ashley Jamison as she cuts it up on the red carpet with a few of the charitable event’s illustrious attendees.