Gala Raises $400,000 Towards Providing Affordable Treatment
The 19th Annual Friends of CLARE Tribute Dinner honored actress-author-philanthropist Jamie Lee Curtis and actor Kevin Zegers on Thursday, November 10th at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. The event raised nearly $400,000 for programs providing affordable treatment for alcoholism, substance abuse and behavioral health.
Opening the awards ceremony was a live musical performance by Root 66, joined by Event Chair, Chuck Lorre. The gala gathered more than 350 guests including film and television actors Tom Arnold, Jordana Brewster, Jennifer Grey, and Dax Shepard.
“I am enormously grateful to our friends and supporters for providing us with the vital tools to help those who are often overlooked and forgotten,” said CLARE Foundation CEO, Dr. Lisa Steele. “The funds from this event will make a real difference in the lives of our clients.”
The auction provided donors an opportunity to support a client through the entire continuum of care – from admission to aftercare – and individual services such as detoxification, residential and outpatient treatment, behavioral health and sober living.
Golden Globe Winner and best-selling author Jamie Lee Curtis was presented with the Friends of CLARE Tribute Award. Thanks to Curtis’ influential voice, there is a greater understanding of the need for treatment and compassion for those who make that brave choice to seek help. 
“There’s a Norman Rockwell painting of two men by the bedside of a man in the hospital, and they’re leaning in,” said Jamie Lee Curtis during her acceptance speech at the Tribute Dinner. “And their lean in says ‘I care about you, and I’m interested in you, and I’m listening to you’. That is what CLARE does every day.”
Curtis continues, “CLARE leans in to every addict, alcoholic, damaged, hurt, sick person that walks through their doors. They lean in and they say ‘we are here, we hear you, tell us about yourself’, and that’s how this works, sober or not, we lean in together. And we are stronger together.”
The Spirit of CLARE Award was presented to actor Kevin Zegers for his commitment and compassion to helping others find sobriety.
Addressing the full ballroom during the CLARE dinner, Kevin Zegers declared, “When I got sober, I had everything at my disposal. I had access to whatever treatment facility I wanted and sober companions and anything else that was available, but it still didn’t work. It didn’t work until I was completely ready to get sober. And through the miracle of sobriety, I now have a beautiful life.”
Zegers added, “We all deserve a chance to get well. Everyone deserves a chance to have two beautiful girls look up at them the way that my daughters do. And being here tonight to support this incredible cause, should be a reminder that reaching out to one another with love and support is still, and will always be, the best way forward. So thank you to CLARE for the work that you do and allowing me to be a very small part of that.”
The event was a huge success thanks to friends and supporters including the Werner Family Foundation and the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation for their generous sponsorship.
