Night of Covenant House Stars
May 17, 2021
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Hollywood and Broadway stars teamed up to celebrate the resilience of the young people experiencing homelessness at Covenant House, the international charity providing housing, food and healthcare to children and youth facing homelessness. The concert was co-hosted by Audra McDonald and John Dickerson, both members of the Covenant House Board of Directors. The theme of the gala was "Stand Up, Stand Strong". It recognized and celebrated the resilience of young people experiencing homelessness and the heroism of frontline staff working 24/7 to keep them safe during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Jon Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Jon Hamm, Dolly Parton, Ryan Reynolds, Robin Roberts, Stephen Colbert, Rachel Brosnahan, Ariana Debose, Morgan Freeman, Vanessa Williams, Sara Bareilles, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, Ben Platt, Zach Braff, Marlon Wayans, Capathia Jenkins, Jo Ellen Pellman, Darius De Haas, Daniel Yearwood, Kelli O’Hara, Ames McNamara, Laurie Metcalf, Jewel, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Dionne Warwick, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ana Villafañe, Alex Newell, Stephanie J. Block, Keala Settle, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes, Jason Ralph, Terron Brooks
Covenant House is the largest, primarily privately funded charity in the Americas helping homeless and trafficked youth, providing 24/7 crisis care and ongoing support in 31 cities across six countries. In nearly 50 years of service, Covenant House has never closed the doors. Produced by acclaimed Broadway director and choreographer and Covenant House Board member Jeff Calhoun, with musical supervision by Jason Howland, Night of Covenant House Stars will combine moving performances by some of the entertainment world’s biggest stars and performances by Covenant House youth. “All of our Covenant House shelters and programs in 31 cities across six countries have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. “But with all the challenges we have remained open 24/7, creating new protocols to keep our resilient young people and our heroic frontline staff safe and healthy, maintaining critical services to support youth’s mental health and emotional health during the pandemic and serving over 1.8 million meals to young people experiencing homelessness.”
“These stars have stepped up because they recognize that our young people don’t have the option to shelter at home without a home,” said Ryan. “For thousands of young people in this past year and for 2,000 young people tonight, Covenant House is their home. Night of Covenant House Stars will help us keep our doors open, 24/7, when youth experiencing homelessness need us more than ever. We are so grateful to Kia, not only for sponsoring this virtual gala but for their consistent, ongoing support throughout the pandemic.” “Now more than ever, it is critical that the homeless youth population gets not only the shelter and medical care they need, but also the social and emotional support they deserve, and Covenant House provides it all to them,” said Russell Wager, Vice President, marketing, Kia Motors America. “We at Kia are grateful to assist organizations like Covenant House and the support they provide to the estimated 4.2 million homeless youth in the U.S.”
