My view from the red carpet: ONEXONE in SF

Last night, I took my special little nook behind a velvet rope as celebrities trickled into the inaugural fundraising event for ONEXONE (‘one by one,’ not ‘one zone’ or ‘one ex one’ – I just wanted to clarify that).

Sure, the celeb (and wannabe celebs) walking on the red carpet are always a treat, but ONEXONE’s launch in San Francisco is quite a big deal. In fact, it’s a REAL big deal.

Founded by Joelle Burdugo Adler, the umbrella organization prides itself on partnering with other like-minded programs to help fight health issues and preserve the lives of children locally and globally. They launched their operation stateside earlier this year and have set up shop in our friendly neighbors to the North (that’s Canada for the geographically inept) in the cities of Calgary and Toronto. But the inaugural fundraising event last night celebrated San Francisco as its first American home.

Groban looked philanthro-chic in this jacket - I really dug it. He said he just "threw it together" - YEAH RIGHT!

Classical vocalist Josh Groban (who performed with the African Children’s Choir), Italian designer of Diesel, Renzo Rosso, musician Carlos Santanta (an honoree of the evening), actor David Arquette, singer Wyclef Jean, Academy Award winner Matt Damon and women’s soccer Olympiad, Mia Hamm and baseballer husband Nomar Garciaparra.

The cute kiddos from the African Children's Choir

In particular, Damon, dressed in a no-frills suit with no tie, was a special special guest. He was the evening’s ambassador.

“They gave me the fancy title of ‘ambassador’ to make me feel more important than I really am,” quips Damon.

He may joke about his title for the evening, but Damon works closely with ONEXONE and thinks San Francisco is an ideal city for the American launch.
 

“There’s a lot of brainpower up here,” says Damon. “(There’s) a lot of energy and enthusiasm for this type of work – (we want) to attach ONEXONE’s name to San Francisco and come back in the future so that they know who we are and the community will engage in these children’s issues.”

One by one (no pun intended), the celebs agreed with Damon in how San Francisco is an ideal spot for ONEXONE.

“It’s an incredible city with people who really care,” says David Arquette. “They can put their money where their mouth is and make a difference in this world. With so many philanthropists in this town, it’s a great place to start. It’s not L.A. and it’s not New York – it’s one of the most incredible cities in the world.”
 

Wyclef dons some Ted Baker and some spacey stylish Dolce and Gabbana silver shoes!

“San Francisco is diverse in culture,” says Wyclef Jean. “That’s what ONEXONE is about. The idea is one life at a time – but all around the world. It was important that when we launched it in the States to come to a place where there was a lot of culture. That’s why we came to San Francisco.”

Groban may have sung his heart out and Wyclef may have done his thang on stage – but it was piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick that had everyone in the audience going “Awwwww!” as he tickled the ivory with Mozart songs and John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

There may be a lot of skeptics when it comes to  celebrity-endorsed organizations, but honestly it really shouldn’t matter. Damon makes a point that when it comes to people and social issues, it’s a personal choice.

“I’m not trying to get any one else in the Hollywood community to behave a certain way," says Damon. “The Hollywood community is very generous and engaged with a lot of these children issues – I’m happy to say that. My colleagues and friends are really knowledgeable about this stuff. They walk it like they talk it. I’m proud to be in that group.”

We are too Matt.