Oct
17,
2026
Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles turned The Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel into an enchanted forest for its annual Wish Gala, an evening that mixed live music, a high-energy auction and stories of amazing Wish Kids who were helped by the organization. Singer Rachel Platten closed the night, and the organization honored philanthropists Dana Guerin and Bill Fishel.
The event opened with a special performance by Freestyle rapper Harry Mack, who walked in from the back of the room and rapped about the audience – on the fly- as he went. On stage, he called up five Wish Kids, took a word from each and worked all five into another freestyle song,
The evening also included inspirational speeches from Gala chair and host Jedd Gold, who is also vice-chair of Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles; Sana Moezzi, Director of Advancement at Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles; and a former Wish Kid who shared her story of overcoming disease and thriving.
The live auction was hosted by Auctioneer Billy Harris with highlights including: dinner at your home with three Michelin-starred chefs cooking for 12 friends; a stay at the Four Seasons Bora Bora with PS LAX transfers; a Mr. Brainwash art piece; a Rams Monday Night Football package with pregame on-field passes; and aDodgers package with four MVP seats, a player meet-and-greet and batting practice.
After a family-style dinner, Aparna Pande, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles, addressed the room. “The power of a wish has been proven by research,” she said. “A wish grants hope, strength, and joy to children facing critical illnesses and the families that walk beside them.”
Eleven-year-old singer Isabella Viking then performed “A Million Dreams” while a montage showed the names, ages, conditions and wishes of children still waiting for theirs. In addition, afeature video told the story of Kira, a 17-year-old with a malignant brain tumor. Her wish was to be reunited with her grandparents, who live in Russian-occupied Ukraine. The wish was granted this past summer. Kira and her mother, Iryna, spoke on stage afterward. The room then held a Fund-A-Wish paddle raise to help pay for more wishes.
Celebrity guests in attendance included Actress Keke Palmer, Olympic figure skater and broadcaster Tara Lapinski , Actor Spencer Garrett, Emmy winning & Oscar nominated producer Cindy Cowan, supermodel Elisabetta Canalis and more.
The evening also honored Dana Guerin, a producer and philanthropist, and Bill Fishel, the former board chair of Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles. Dana Guerin was introduced by her mother, Vera Guerin, whom the organization called one of LA’s greatest philanthropists. The Guerin family gave $100 million to Cedars-Sinai to open Guerin Children’s. A feature video was followed by remarks from Dana. Bill Fishel was introduced by his wife, Kate Fishel, an entrepreneur, philanthropist and mother. A feature video and his remarks followed.
The evening concluded with a special performance by Rachel Platten who closed the night with “Stand by You” and “Fight Song.”
Gold thanked everyone for coming and left the audience with this thought, “As last night’s gala chair and host, I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished. It was an absolutely epic evening. I had a vision for the experience I wanted people to have this year and it was a team effort bringing a magical enchanted forest to life for an important cause. Seeing the look on people’s faces as they walked into the room, and knowing that we were able to raise the money needed to grant wishes for so many kids, was worth the countless hours spent making this happen.”
To learn more or support wishes, visit Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles at wish.org/la.
