(Long Island, NY) On Tuesday, April 25, 2006 I was thrilled to be invited to We Are Family Foundation to Honor Sir Elton John, Quincy Jones. Tommy Hilfiger, The Comcast Family of Companies and Creation Band at the Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom. We Are Family Foundation better known as (WAFF) hosted this star studded red carpet event to pay tribute to the highly respected, esteemed musician and icon Sir Elton John with the Humanitarian Award in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments through his Elton John AIDS Foundation.
The Mattie J. T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award was also presented to music impresario Quincy Jones in honor of his lifetime of philanthropic achievements. The Visionary Award was presented to famous fashion designer and innovator Tommy Hilfiger in recognition of his work to promote educational opportunities for diverse populations in the U.S.A. through the Tommy Hilfger Corporate Foundation. And last but not least the Corporate Visionary Award was presented to The Comcast Family of Companies in recognition of their strong commitment to diversity. The band Creation made up of six 12 and 13 year-old students for their extraordinary effort on behalf of WAFF by donating all proceeds from the debut album, World Without Windows to WAFF was presented with a special recognition award.
I was thrilled of course to speak to many celebrities that attended this star-studded event but was especially proud to speak to Long Island Celebrity, The lovely and talented Recording Artist, Taylor Dayne. The tantalizing Taylor wearing a sexy plunging neckline black dress revealed how honored she was to receive a call from Nile Rodgers himself inviting her to perform at the event. Lovely Taylor had told me that Nile had asked her to participle in developing the album and the song “We are Family”. We both agreed that Mr. Nile Rodgers is truly a magnificent humanitarian as well as a gifted songwriter and recording artist.
The Platinum recording artist was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962, in Long Island, New York. Taylor began singing at an early age and joined her first band, the new wave group Felony after graduating high school. In the early part of her young career, Taylor spent her nights appearing at New York City Nightclubs like CBGB’s and the Bottom Line. During the Day the Divine Dayne received her classical training from Maestro Carelli at the Manhattan School of Music. Taylor met Rick Wake in 1985 after releasing some 12-inch records under the titled stage name “Leslee”. Ric renamed her “Taylor Dayne. He became her producer and released the hit song “Tell It to My Heart” which made her a household name. Some of her other hits are “I’ll Always Love You”, “With Every Beat of My Heart”, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love”, and “Naked Without You”.
Lovely Taylor has continued to expand her acting resume with guest appearances on such shows as Martial Law, and Rude Awakening. She also played the character Amneris, in the Broadway Disney musical, Aida. After being hired for the Roseanne Show, Taylor moved to Los Angeles. Unfortunately the show got cancelled but Taylor decided to stay. She had grown accustomed to this famous show business town and desired the Los Angeles Lifestyle. She now lives in a rambling 2,100 square foot, three-bedroom house in the L.A. suburb Sherman Oaks, California with her three year old twins Levi and Astaria.
Other celebrities that attended this star studded event besides Recording Artist Taylor Dayne were 70’s super group Chic, Steven Van Zandt, Actor Robert Funaro, Debra DiMagio, Kate Pierson of the B-52’s, Khalia Ali and Nancy Hunt, President of the We Are Family Foundation.
I was privileged to interview the host of the Evening Television Personality and member of the WAFF Board of Directors Mr. Montel Williams. Mr. Williams revealed to me how his dear friend songwriter Nile Rodgers approached him on becoming a member of WAFF. In my interview with Mr. Nile Rodgers he explained to me what this extraordinary organization is really all about.
We Are Family Foundation (WAFF), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization was founded by legendary producer/songwriter Nile Rodgers in 2002 in response to the tragic event of September 11 2001. Mr. Rodgers gathered over 200 celebrities together to re-record his world-renowned hit song “We Are Family”, in order to commence the healing process of this very tragic unprecedented event. The re-recording of this famous song proved the song’s power to give hope through an uplifting beat and a strong message of global unity. Both Mr. Quincy Jones and Fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger expressed to me how excited they were to receive such honorary awards.
In my interview with Mr. Rodgers he expressed “I’m thrilled to announce We Are Family Foundations’s 4th Annual Gala Celebration! This year we are proud to pay tribute to Sir Elton John, Quincy Jones, Tommy Hilfiger, Creation and the Comcast Family of Companies. These Inspirational honorees have all been chosen for their commitment to promoting education and awareness of global issues and the unprecedented dedication to making the world a better place.
WAFF continues to promote the vision of a global family by bringing people together and giving hope that we can live together in a peaceful world through the development and distribution of a media-based educational tools that reach out to our world’s youth. WAFF celebrates a common humanity and the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate individuals of all ages about diversity, understanding and multiculturalism.
