ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann and Ted Chervin were honored with the Heart & Humanity Award at the 13th annual Gala of Champions Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
While the two honorees sang CoachArt’s praises on stage, org co-founder and SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie turned the light on them with one resounding statement: “This town has been ravaged by controversy. You may not cheer to this every time, but cheers to the people who have been crushing it and doing good for 25 years in their professional life and giving back to the community.”
The gala, hosted by CoachArt, brought together Hollywood vets from Disney to Netflix, and in addition to celebrating the night’s honorees, managed to bring in over $850,000 to further their mission of helping children battling chronic illnesses.
“Supporting arts and children’s connection to the arts, especially those less fortunate, is what drives our philanthropic energy as an agency,” said Silbermann. “We saw what a great job CoachArt does for chronically ill and disadvantaged kids and their families, giving them something else in their lives besides hospitals, needles, and pain. It gives them hope, it gives them light, and it gives them joy.”
Silbermann’s fellow ICM partner, Chervin, acknowledged that the event was especially personal for him because he and his wife, Anna, are expecting.
“We hope our daughter will be healthy but regardless of the issues she may face, she will thankfully have significant resources at her disposal to help her meet challenges as they arrive,” said Chervin. “We’re humble and grateful for that because we are acutely aware and mindful that not everyone is in such a privileged position.”
 |
| ICM’s Chris Silbermann and Ted Chervin accept their CoachArt honor at the Beverly Hilton. Michael Buckner/Variety/rex/shutterstock |