Last night, the African Children’s Choir hosted their 6th Annual Changemakers Gala in New York City at City Winery. The organization, which began in 1984, supports children from the poorest countries in the world who have lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. Founder Ray Barnett came up with the idea to start the Choir after a trip he took to Africa. He said, “I think the western world has seen enough [emaciated children] and they need to see the potential of the African child. Maybe an African Children’s Choir could bring this message to the world.”
This year, the Choir honored actor Taylor Kitsch with the Changemakers Award, who has been working with the organization for a number of years after being introduced to it through former castmate Connie Britton. While on set, Britton off-handedly asked Kitsch if he’d like to go to Africa with her some time in the undetermined future. Little did he know, he’d be getting five days notice before packing up to head to Uganda. “Obviously it’s life-altering to go there, to work there firsthand and to be involved. It’s funny I’m being honored; you get so much more out of it then you’re giving. It’s incredibly fulfilling on a completely different level,” said Kitsch.
When asked how they pick the honorees for the Changemakers Award, Founder Ray Barnett said, “It’s people who have done a lot for the children. Last year year it was Connie and this year it’s Taylor. He’s gone to Uganda and he’s done so much for the choir and the children that it was an easy decision [to honor him] tonight.”
The evening was not your typical gala — the festive environment had guests interacting with the special guests as they perused auction items and downed wine and cheese during the VIP cocktail hour. Following that, attendees were seated for dinner as the show began. Host Marty Thomas introduced incredible drummers and dancers, who took to the stage and got the lively evening started off right. Next up, Grammy award winning artist Rob Thomas got the crowd going with a live performance of many of his hit songs. When asked how he got involved in the charity, Thomas stated, “Taylor’s a good buddy of mine, he turned me on to it. Every New Year’s in Austin he would do an event for [African Children’s Choir] and one year he asked me to come down and play. So I played and it’s kind of infectious when you get to meet the people that run this and you get to meet the kids. When I found out Taylor was being honored, we tried to find a way so that I could play here.”
Next up, Connie Britton presented Kitsch with his well-deserved award, but not before a special video congratulations from Kyle Chandler was played, as well as videos from Africa of those who have benefitted from the organization. The evening concluded with a magical and inspiring performance from the children of the Choir, as well as a live auction.
For more information on African Children’s Choir, or to get involved, please visit their website.
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