Refugees International!

Last night we headed to a very special evening at Mellon Auditorium to commemorate Refugees International’s 35 years of lifesaving actions.

The annual RI dinner is an exclusive awards ceremony honoring humanitarians who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment and made a difference in human welfare. We snapped its vice chair, Golden Globe Award winner Sam Waterston, with this year’s recipient of the McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award, world renowned chef José Andrés, RI chair Eileen Shields-West, and emcee, actor Matt Dillon.

RI advocates support for refugees, displaced, and stateless people, and promotes solutions to government and UN policies to improve their condition. Here, its president Dr. Michel Gabaudan, and Academy and Golden Globe winner Forest Whitaker, who also received the McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award.

During the awards ceremony, guests enjoyed a three-course dinner with grilled asparagus and truffled goat cheese, beef short ribs with edamame pea purée, and a warm chocolate tart. Here, the permanent representative of Spain to OAS Jorge Hevia and his wife Casilda Garcia-Quiros, and Arnold & Porter’s Michael Trager and his wife Washington Circle chair Mariella Trager.

Over 500 guests attended, including ambassadors, lawmakers, health professionals, supporters, and friends, listening to sounds from Grammy award nominee Cheick Hamala Diabaté, a famous musician from Mali. Here, RI board member Michael Hawkins and his wife Diane.