Into the Blue LA Fashion Gala
This weekend Bionic buzz had the privilege of attending Into The Blue. This annual fundraiser is presented by Autism Speaks; a North American organization founded in 2005 that is dedicated to raising awareness, promoting understanding and acceptance in its wake. Autism Speaks also pursues advances in research into causes and better intervention for those on the spectrum. “Autism Speaks enhances lives today and is accelerating a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow” – Mission statement.
Rolling up onto the Blue Carpet
This years gala took place at Union Station in LA; which had its main clock tower bathed in blue light. The arrival area was in the beautiful courtyard of the station, when first entering you were greeted with a stand with a few drink refreshments, accompanied by tables with descriptions of the items you could bid for in the silent auction later in the evening. Directly across from that was the token blue carpet awaiting its own big name arrivals of the evening. The rest of the venue was decorated beautifully, an archway with a chandelier leading to the main snack table in the middle of the entire area and just past that their bar and photo booth. The trees were sporting blue lights along with puzzle piece messages and facts about Autism, each one was unique, no two being the same; just like those with the disorder.
Big Names, Bigger Voices
Every charity event needs a few celebrities to help echo their cause, Into the Blue has more than a few though; and you can agree that this is something we all could, and should, get behind. The difference between this event and most other fundraisers is that Autism is a part of everyday life. With 1 in 68 being diagnosed with autism and the average person meeting 3 people per day there’s a 31% of encountering someone on the spectrum every week, more common than you think right? That’s because these different people, are just people too. They’re our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, they’re our best friends and co workers, “they” could even be you, and this applies for everyone; so all these people who were walking the blue carpet in the spotlight this night not only cared, but each person had their own first-hand experience with the disorder or those who’ve been diagnosed. Actress Taamara Taylor (Bones, Lost) pictured left on the blue carpet.
Into The Award Hall and into our hearts.
Moving from the courtyard to the hall the main event’s begin, starting the night out right with a beautiful performance by Amanda Sanderson. The stories weren’t just saved for the blue carpet, Autism Speaks had a few awards to hand out for influential individuals and organizations in the field of Autism Acceptance and Research, and with each award given came personal first hand accounts. The awards given included The Awareness Award presented to Sony Picture Television & ABC’s, “The Good Doctor” for increasing the impact the media has on advancing acceptance . The Advocate Award presented to Skip Keesal for dedicating himself to creating a more civil and just community through strong commitment. The Influencer Award presented to Cintas for setting an example to other corporations to make inclusiveness a priority. Left photo of Entertainment Tonight & The Talk host Keltie Knight.
A runway setup to stop running away, from the problem.
Escada sponsored the fashion show at this years gala. Showing off their newest design line up. Here I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
A Brotherhood of Man
We ended the night with the live music of Emmanuel Kelly; opening with John Lennon’s “Imagine” and closing with an exclusive preview of Kelly’s newest upcoming single “Hello”. Emmanuel in his bio says “My dream is to make people smile through my music, and to show young kids that it is ok to strive for your dreams.”, that being said, I don’t think there could have been a better choice of person to close the event. It was an amazing event for a great cause, and all throughout the night Autism Speaks organizers were there for you if you needed them for anything. Even with all these big names and big prizes the message behind it all was clear and resounding. LEFT Photo of Good Doctor actor Freddie Highmore on the blue carpet.
Autism Speaks Links
https://www.facebook.com/autismspeaks