The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Annual Hot Pink Party Was Transformed Into a Virtual Fundraiser 

While it’s true that October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month, one of the biggest fundraisers for breast-cancer research takes place each year in the month of May—the Hot Pink Party. Hosted each year by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the nonprofit founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, the event attracts magnanimous guests who open up their wallets to fund the research of treatments and cures for the disease. And most often those guests are wearing hot, hot pink.

Last year, the event took over the Park Avenue Armory, which was lit for the occasion in magenta lights and featured performances from David Foster and Maxwell; the night raised $6 million.

This year, with the importance of science-backed medical research feeling all the more relevant, the organization decided to carry on with the event, which was adapted for the first time into a virtual fundraiser.

With a website created for the night, the BCRF seemed to take the production of a fundraising livestream event (which so many organizations have resorted to in these socially distanced times) to the next level. The web page featured a box for the video program, and down below were moving images of BCRF supporters who submitted photos of themselves wearing bright pink out of solidarity. To the left of the video box was information on how viewers could donate to the cause.

The night was dedicated to Mandy Gonzalez, the actress and Broadway star who took a turn in both of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hits (In the Heights and Hamilton). Because of the honoree, the night started with a performance by Norbert Leo Butz. He sang West Side Story’s “Something Coming,” a song about anticipation and that delicious feeling of being on the verge of something great. Butz’s song served as a soundtrack to current footage of an empty and seemingly abandoned New York—a city that is certainly due for a bit of good news.

Throughout the night, Elizabeth Hurley, Karlie Kloss, Sir Elton John, Gretta Monahan, Leonard Lauder, and more were heard from, sharing messages of hope and resounding praise for the work of the BCRF. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the one-hour-long event came from Gonzalez herself, who spoke of how, after her diagnosis and during her treatment, she remained dedicated to the stage. “It was most important to not let cancer define me or stop me,” she announced, speaking into her video camera for the hundreds who tuned in. “So during chemo, I had the privilege to continue my job playing Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton on Broadway eight times a week. I would never have been able to get through that if it wasn’t for my community, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The evening raised more than $5.2 million, and the foundation is always accepting donations that can be made here.