ROCKING THE HOUSE
Malibu mom and TV host Brooke Burke was among the famous faces turning out to hang with John Varvatos at his annual Stuart House fundraiser in Hollywood. John may be a trendsetter on the fashion front, but his bash was kickback and casual all the way. Brooke and her high profile pals turned out for a day of shopping, food, fun and song at the Varvatos boutique on Melrose Ave. It was an eclectic musical crowd with everyone from rapper LL Cool J to ‘80s icon Billy Idol making the scene.
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey and his wife Jillian hosted the event, which raised more than $500,000 to help victims of child abuse. It was a family affair with Brooke bringing her little ones to enjoy magic shows, balloon sculpting and cookie decorating at the outdoor kids’ tent. Brooke said she was more than happy to support John and his worthy cause.
“I think it’s a super important organization,” she said. “I have four children and I think keeping the lines of communication open are huge. It’s really about helping children through painful moments through support. I am all about educating my kids and bringing awareness to a cause like this.”
Other notable names in the crowd included David Schwimmer, Donovan Leitch and Eva La Rue. Bill Bellamy presided over the live auction, which featured a dozen HD camcorders donated by FLIP.
With cash registers ringing in the background, it was time for the main event. The afternoon wrapped up with a rocking performance by four-time Grammy winner k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang. They played songs from their new album “Sing it Loud.” The performance was a treat and so was the encore as k.d. belted out her classic “Constant Craving.”
At the end of the day, John couldn’t have been more pleased saying, “It is wonderful to see this kind of turnout and to be able to raise money and awareness. We are now in our eighth year and we are hell bent on getting to 20.”
The long-term commitment put a big smile on the face of Stuart House director Gail Abarbanel who said, “Today brought tremendous support and awareness to the issue of sexual child abuse, and was an extraordinary expression of our community’s support for the care and treatment of these children. This is an incredibly important event and it helps sustain us. John has been our guardian angel.”