Sean Penn had his annual Haiti fundraiser in Los Angeles this past Saturday. So over the weekend, the Montage Hotel was host to all sorts of Hollywoodites as they came to show their support for the 4th Annual Sean Penn & Friends Help Haiti Home Gala which benefits Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization. In case you weren’t in the Los Angeles area…here’s the scoop.

Not surprisingly, our Kreyolicious girl Garcelle, clad in a body-flattering royal blue dress was on the scene.

Now you know where Haiti or a Haiti cause is mentioned Hollywood, Garcelle is never too far behind. She’s the Haitian who never takes a rain-check when it comes to matters relating to the A-Y-I-T-I.

She was trying to fix her hair as this pic was being taken…no, no Kreyolicious Garcy…too late. You’re already captured!

Of course, there were some non-kreyolicious folks there….

The man himself Mr. Jean…er Mr. Sean Penn with his madanm Charlize Theron. They sure make a cute couple. “Two hearts…beating in just one mind…

There they are again…this time with Billy Bob Clinton….

Later during the evening, Charlize was joined by Salma Hayek and Reese Witherspoon. And the three women had a good laugh.

Adrien Brody came over to Ben Stiller’s table, while a female guest and Ben Stiller’s table-mate looked on.

Ben later joined former prez Bill Clinton, Jean Penn and Charlize at their table.

Jean Penn gets a squeezy hug from Richard Hotes.

[Photo Credit: Valerie Macon and Christopher Polk]

So over the weekend, Garcelle Beauvais came to the Montage Hotel in Los Angeles and joined a bunch of other celebrities to show her support for Sean Penn’s 4th Annual Sean Penn & Friends Help Haiti Home Gala which benefits Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization.

I know she came for a good cause, and I salute her. It won’t hurt if I take a good look at her outfit, will it? Of course not…

Garcelle Beauvais was there looking like a royal in blue. She wore silver sandals with just a little hint of gold.

Check out her gold-beaded clutch. So Kreyolicious.

Ah, her face up-close. Light lip gloss, with super-smokey eyes, and a playful bob. She’s kreyolicious…effortlessly.

There you have it folks, our kreyolicoius gal in Hollywood, good ‘ole Garcelle.

[Photos: Valerie Macon]

This Sunday is going to be lived fabulously by Fleur de Vie and its founder-designer Dayanne Danier. She’s gathering the Haitian-American community from New York, and surrounding States to draw attention to her biggest cause: the education of children in Haiti.

Above: Fashion designer Dayanne Danier at an event for her organization Fleur de Vie.

Let’s have a discussion with the designer-philanthropist about this event!

Above: Kids in Haiti play at one of the many events planned by Fleur de Vie.

Kreyolicious: So, I think that the last time we talked about Fleur de Vie, it had just been launched. What has the organization been to since then?
That’s so true. Where did the time go? It’s been a little over three years, and yes, we have done so much since then. When we last spoke we had two schools in Port Au Prince and one after-school program in a province outside of Mirebalais. We were just focusing on one program which was the Back to School project. Now, we have added on another school in Port Au Prince and we connected with an organization in St. Marc. We have also started a new program called Reading is Fundamental, which focuses on literacy and teacher training.

Above: The gala being held by Fleur de Vie today, will raise funds for activities like this one.
Kreyolicious: Do you feel you have accomplished all your goals for Fleur de Vie?
DD: We wouldn’t go as far as saying we accomplished all our goals, we are still at the tip of the iceberg. There is still so much that needs to be done when it comes to social education. What we would say is that we are happy with what we have accomplished thus far and definitely committed to continuing. We have touched the lives of many students in Haiti. We are happy to say we haven’t done this alone, we have built great relationships with partners on the ground and our volunteers are more than just volunteers to us now. They are crucial members who strongly believe in our mission and want to see change in their country.

A sample of what attendees can expect at the Fleur de Vie gala at the Alliance Francaise in New York this afternoon.

Kreyolicious: You have an event coming up soon at the French Institute in New York. What has it been like putting this event together behind the scenes?
Yes. We have our La Palette Saisonniere De Chef food tasting fundraiser. This is the second year we are doing this, but on a larger scale. Our focus with this event was to bring the community in the Tri-State area together, and share the work we have been doing over the years. Of course, this is a fundraiser. At the same time, we wanted to do unique events that allow people to want to come out to support a great cause. So we brought together executive chefs, David Destinoble and Lucmann Pierre to create delicious [treats] for our guests. Culinary is a big part of the Haitian culture and sharing the talents of these chefs offers a different view of Haiti to the New York area. We are happy that Mikaben will join us for a performance and the Ambassador Paul Altidor is our special guest. So, there’s a lot of planning that goes into this. It can be a bit stressful. But still easier than planning an event for 600 students. [Winks] My team is great, and we have worked hard to make this a successful event. We are still selling tickets on the website!

Above: Singer Mikaben is scheduled to perform a set, his first appearance since signing with Warner Music France.

Support Fleur de Vie and its founder! The Fleur de Vie event will take place at the French Institute/Alliance Francaise today Sunday, Aug 21. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets and support this fund.

Pop star Jason Derulo held a fundraiser for his Just For You Foundation in Beverly Hills this past Thursday with the theme “Heart of Haiti”. The singer has emphasized that the mission of the nonprofit is to (among other other goals) help promote education, safe housing, and health in the US and globally. Derulo, who was born in Miami to Haitian parents, has visited Haiti several times. Earlier this year, he traveled to the island motherland to film a music video. Like many Haitian-Americans in the spotlight, he tries to use his notoriety to bring positive stories about Haiti in the media.

Jason and his team had a custom-made favor done to represent the theme of the gala.

Here is Jason addressing the crowd.

The singer donned an elegant tuxedo for the event.

Among those in the audience were actors Jean-Pierre Vertus, Sean Penn, Garcelle Beauvais, performers Mikaben (who came directly from Haiti especially for the event), Shaggy, and Tyler Hubbard. Derulo is seen posing below with Penn, Garcelle, and Hubbard.

Jason’s immediate family were on hand to help him celebrate his philanthropy.

Here is the singer with Jamaican reggae star Shaggy.

Shaggy was among the performers for the night.

Singer-songwriter Mikaben performing a Haitian Creole classic for the Californians.

Actor Jean-Pierre Vertus was among the guests of honor. Here he is posing with his wife Katy Corr, Garcelle, Hubbard, and Penn.

Here’s a full view of Garcelle’s outfit! Girl kills it every time, wi!

On this occasion she decided to don this black pantsuit.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, Derulo stated that President Donald Trump’s alleged comments about Haiti being a s_hole was what motivated him to focus on the island. He further states that visiting the island to get a first-hand view of what actor-activist Sean Penn was doing in the mid-2010s through his JP Haro organization also inspired him.

This past August, the singer attended the Blockchain Conference, a conference about planning for the future through philanthropy and technology.

To visit the Just For You Foundation, and see how you can help Jason Derulo and his team achieve the aims of the foundation, CLICK HERE.

Photos: Alberto E. Rodriguez, Derulo Family

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