WNBA icon Candice Parker teamed up with celebrities this past weekend, including “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress Melissa Fumero, “She’s All That” star Rachael Leigh Cook and “Superman Returns” actor Brandon Routh, to raise nearly $6 million for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
The Evening of Hope Gala, hosted by philanthropists Mickey and Lee Segal at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, was a star-studded celebration.
Other guests in attendance included Yellowjackets’ Dyan Cannon, Samantha Hanratty and Nuha Jen Inman, as well as Michael McDonald, who took to the stage to perform some of his biggest hits.
“It’s obviously incredibly moving to hear how St. Jude is going above and beyond to accommodate these families and support them while giving their children as much of a fighting chance as possible…Everyone should support them,” Fumero, 43, said.
The actress said she has a long history with the research hospital founded by actor Danny Thomas.
“When I started working as an actor, the first charity event I did in New York was St. Jude,” Fumero recalls. “I was 21 years old and I was so moved. I cried at that event. From then on, that became the main charity we donated to.”
“That’s exactly what kids deserve and what you want for your kids. And I feel like we don’t have a lot of that these days, so that gives me hope,” Fumero continued.
Other guests included actress Larsen Thompson, who said, “I applaud the organization’s efforts to lead the way in treating and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”
She added: “No child should be denied treatment and I will always wholeheartedly support their mission.”
