Photos: Ariana DeBose, Audra McDonald, and More Attend NIGHT OF COVENANT HOUSE STARS GALA

On Monday, May 22, Covenant House, the largest charity in the Americas helping homeless and trafficked youth, gathered supporters to celebrate their annual Night of Covenant House Stars Gala. The event took place at the Javits Center Terrace & Pavilion in New York City. 

Check out photos from the event below!

The event kicked off with a rousing speech from Academy Award winner and Covenant House board member Ariana DeBose, who welcomed guests and introduced the evening.

MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle spoke with President and CEO of Covenant House International,  Bill Bedrossian about his upbringing and what led him to his long and impactful relationship with Covenant House. 

Shortly thereafter, Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren appeared to read a moving personal essay from a sex-trafficking survivor, before Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez took to the stage to present this year’s Beacon of Hope Award to New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson in recognition of his dedication and advocacy work to ending youth homelessness. In accepting the honor, Brunson thanked his mother, noting her as the catalyst and inspiration to his charity work and time with Covenant House. Brunson’s mother, Sandra Brunson joined her son and subsequently introduced a pair of Covenant House Youth who performed original music for the crowd. 

Executive Vice President and Chief People and Inclusion Officer of Universal Music Group, Eric Hutcherson was also honored with the Board Service Award. Hutcherson has demonstrated continued efforts and passion in finding opportunities for young people, especially young people of color, and has worked with Covenant House for nearly a decade as a volunteer and a leader.

“The least interesting thing about our kids is that they’re homeless,” said Hutcherson. “When they walk in those Covenant House doors, they feel like they’re finally safe, they feel like they can finally be themselves, without any question, without having to prove anything, they finally have a place where they can just exhale and be themselves just for one minute. And then to give them that catapult that they need to go back out into the world stronger, to go back out into the world with confidence. To know that they can be successful regardless of what challenges are put in front of them so that they know they have their Covenant House family behind them.”

Following Hutcherson’s powerful speech, Bill Bedrossian took the stage once more to underscore the vitality of the support that is offered at Covenant House to ensure their youth have the resources to create a better future. The evening then concluded with a joyous performance from the Grammy-nominated music group, Tank and the Bangas.

Other attendees included Covenant House champions Raúl Castillo, Jo Ellen Pellman, Javier Muñoz, John Dickerson, Rachel Sussman, KEM, as well as Board Member Jason Ralph, among others. 

Funds raised from Night of Covenant House Stars go directly to food, clothing, healthcare, education, job training, and short and long-term housing for youth overcoming homelessness at Covenant House across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. 

Delta, Tito’s, and Universal Music Group served as sponsors for this year’s event. 

ABOUT COVENANT HOUSE

Covenant House is the largest, primarily privately funded charity in the Americas helping young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking, providing 24/7 crisis care and ongoing support in 34 cities across six countries. In over 50 years of service, Covenant House has never closed the doors and our high-quality programs are designed to empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future.

For more information, go to www.covenanthouse.org