The Whitney E. Houston Estate, Primary Wave Music and Sony Corporation Of America will present the 2nd Annual Whitney Houston Gala Legacy Of Love on August 9th. The gala will be held at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia on what would have been Houston’s 60th birthday. Clive Davis, who was Houston’s professional mentor and is the chief creative officer at Sony Entertainment, is this year’s Honorary Chairperson along with Houston’s longtime musical director Larry Jackson and Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. Emmy-winning Atlanta broadcaster Karyn Greer is hosting the gala. Bebe Winans, gospel singer Kim Burrell and Gary Houston are giving musical performances.
The Whitney Houston Foundation was founded in 1989 and provided resources to homeless children, built parks, and playgrounds, and established college scholarships. The Foundation also supported several charities including the Children’s Defense Fund, Childhood Diabetes, Hale House, The Rain Forest Foundation, United Negro College Fund, St. Jude’s Children’s Research, Special Olympics and Whitney Houston’s South African concerts of which a portion of the proceeds went to South African children’s charities.
The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation was formed in 2020 to continue the work of supporting today’s youth through programs and services. The Foundation also is a source of restoration for the youth’s self-esteem. “Not long after Whitney’s career started in the mid-80s, she was steadfast and focused on starting her foundation for children and young people,” says Pat Houston, the executor of The Estate for Whitney E. Houston. “Especially now during this time in history with our young people, the work of the foundation is more important than ever. She would be proud to know that we are continuing the work and extending our hand and love to today’s youth, who are dealing with a myriad of challenges. And she would be happy that we are having this occasion and celebrating on what would have been her 60th birthday, surrounded by love with family, friends, and supporters.”
The annual fundraiser will also have a silent auction with specially curated items from the Whitney E. Houston Estate, along with other specialty items from ten-time Grammy Award winner Dolly Parton and basketball legend Julius Erving II, among other packages from Broadway to music to fashion to other one-of-kind originals and keepsakes. There will also be a presentation of the 2023 grant recipient of Atlanta’s Living Live Foundation’s “Lighting the Way Youth Mentor” program. The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation will also provide several scholarships to students of historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to study the arts. In 1988, Houston was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana.
For more information about The 2nd Annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love Gala, click here.
