When 2020 rolls-around in the not-too-distant-future, Las Vegans are going to experience four of the biggest events on Las Vegas’ annual philanthropy calendar, between January 25 and March 27.  Why are so many of our city’s big-ticket charity shindigs going down in the relatively short span of nine weeks?  As someone who sits on the committees for each of these events, I can assure you that it’s mostly due to what I’m gonna call “Headliner Scheduling” (and it can be a beeyatch!).  What’s been scheduled when and to accommodate whom?  Well, that’s a great question, and one I hope to answer, forthwith; so, let’s look at them, chronologically.

It all begins on Saturday, January 25 at Nevada Ballet Theatre’s 36th annual Black & White Ball, when Shania Twain, the Queen of County Pop, is honored as 2020’s “Woman of the Year.”  The grande dame of Las Vegas philanthropic organizations, NBT is moving its annual black-tie gala to Caesars Palace; fitting when you consider that Twain—the best-selling female artist in country music history with more than 100 million records sold; and the only female artist of any genre to have three consecutive albums certified Diamond (10,000,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry of America—begins her new Live Nation Las Vegas-presented residency, Shania Twain “Let’s Go!” The Las Vegas Residency on December 06, inside the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino (a Caesars Entertainment property). 

There’s a brief lull (better known as February), before things pick-up once more; so, when we resume our merry quest to improve the lives of others, we do so in March.  More specifically, it’ll be Saturday, March 07 when Keep Memory Alive returns to the MGM Grand Garden Arena with its 24th annual Power of Love® gala.  This year, KMA is honoring the legendary Neil Diamond, as well as Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson; with Chef Wolfgang Puck being joined in the kitchen by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.  One of the best-selling musicians of all time (having sold more than 100 million records worldwide), Diamond retired from touring in January 2018, due to his being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.  But, the man who penned such evergreen hits as “Sweet Caroline,” “Cherry, Cherry,” and “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” didn’t let his diagnosis prevent him from receiving that year’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; and you just know it’s gonna be a thrill to see and hear the artists who’ll be performing his songs as tribute.

Moving right along, we come to the following Thursday, at which time Wynn Las Vegas will once again host the annual Flair for Care luncheon benefiting the Nathan Adelson Hospice.  There, thanks to some fantastic fashion wrangling by co-Chairs Dena duBoef-Roth, Tami Hance, and Dawn Hume, the French fashion house of Chloé will be producing a unique fashion presentation, conceived especially for Hospice; forgoing the de rigueur runway show.  A timely fashion choice, seeing as Chloé’s new creative director, Natacha Ramsay-Levi—who spent sixteen years working for Nicolas Ghesquiere, first at Balenciaga, and later at Louis Vuitton, where she oversaw women’s ready-to-wear—has brought an air of excitement to the Maison that’s been lacking since the departure of Phoebe Philo, in the mid-aughts.

This brings us to the One Drop Foundation’s annual One Night for One Drop gala, that’ll be switching things up, for its seventh edition.  This year, the whole kit and caboodle (presented by MGM Resorts, International) will be going down at Luxor Las Vegas, which is fitting since the evening will center around a private showing of R.U.N., the first live-action thriller by Cirque du Soleil.  R.U.N.—which has just premiered—is an immersive experience, rather akin to being thrust into a graphic novel come-to-life; and comme d’habitude, the performance will be bookended by a pair of VIP parties prepared with that Cirque-imagined special sauce that we all know and love.

To make your lives easier, the hyperlinks that appear in this article will take you to the website of the linked organization; while the links below will take you to that event’s specific page.  That being said, I guess all that’s left to do, now (having read this article), is to get your table-arrangements made, your tickets procured, your looks styled, your glam arranged, and your phasers set to Stunning!

Nevada Ballet Theatre | Black & White Ball
Click HERE for info and tickets

Keep Memory Alive | Power of Love® gala
Click HERE for info and tickets

Nathan Adelson Hospice | Flair for Care luncheon
Click HERE for info and tickets

One Drop Foundation | One Night for One Drop gala
Click HERE for info and tickets

Get into it!
#LVPhilanthropy