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Madonna has outdone herself once more, hosting a fundraiser for the United Nations, sponsored by Gucci and swarming with celebrities, all to raise money for the orphaned children of Malawi.
The Queen of Pop is never one to shy away from controversy and it appears that mixing fashion, celebrity, glamour and charity was not an issue for her Wednesday night. The event unfolded on the lawns of the United Nations lawn in New York, with attendees buying tickets worth $2,500 to $10,000 apiece, the Associated Press reports.
Madonna and her celebrity friends like Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Selma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Cruise and many others managed to raise an impressive $3.7 million for the pop star’s Raising Malawi charity and UNICEF.
Madonna brought along 11-year-old daughter Lourdes and talked passionately about her belief in saving Malawian orphans. “I don't just want you to write me a check. I'm more interested in your heart. I want to take you on that journey with me tonight. I want you to feel as inspired as I do right now,” she was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
“Yes, I want to raise Malawi. But if I can do that — if we can do that — then the sky's the limit.”
Chris Rock acted as host and Gucci took on sponsor duties. “Gucci is important to me,” Madonna told People magazine. “Because they stepped up to the plate to support me. And that means a lot.”
The singer and her director husband, Guy Ritchie, are in the process of adopting a Malawian boy. “I want to put Raising Malawi on the map,” Madonna said at the event.
Additional money was raised, as Madonna also organized special auctions: $600,000 for a dance class with the star herself and Gwyneth Paltrow; $350,000 to play football with David Beckham for an hour; $120,000 for a trip to Paris with a tour of a vineyard and lunch with Salma Hayek.
The event’s musical enjoyment was provided by Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys.
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