Jason Priestley, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Others Celebrate Halloween Early
The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation held its 15th Annual Dream Halloween event, hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis, this past Saturday at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Priestley, Melina Kanakaredes, Doris Roberts, Angela Bassett and Kim Fields were also on-hand to trick-or-treat and celebrate with the kids.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith were presented with one-of-a-kind Mattel dolls made in their likeness. The dolls were later auctioned for $20,000. Wilmer Valderrama designed a one-of-a-kind Hot Wheels that was also auctioned and raised $6,500. A "Spirit of King Grayskull" action figure made by He-Man designer Scott Neitlich was bid on by Gary Kiehnau, a soldier currently stationed in Iraq.
The fun-filled event generated nearly $1 million for children impacted by AIDS.
"The Hollywood community, the toy and children's entertainment industry, and many others, go above and beyond each year to help us make this event a success. It's heartwarming to see the faces of families truly enjoying themselves," said Founder and Board chair Joe Cristina. "I'm so pleased to be celebrating 15 years of Dream Halloween. In 2008, the Foundation will serve more than 35,000 children in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean."
Gerald Storch, Chairman and CEO of Toys 'R' Us, was presented with the Ribbon of Dreams® Children's Advocate Award by Jamie Lee Curtis.
Each October, CAAF invites hundreds of families to attend Dream Halloween in-costume and trick-or-treat for toys, meet their favorite cartoon characters, play games, participate in arts and crafts, and enjoy a load of delicious food.
CAAF was founded in 1993 by Joe Cristina, a Mattel, Inc. executive whose desire to help children was inspired by the outpouring of support he received when he disclosed his own HIV-positive status. To learn more about CAAF, visit www.caaf4kids.org.
