Ad Council raises more than $9 million to support social impact campaigns
The Ad Council, at its 70th annual Public Service Awards dinner Thursday evening, honored Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger as an Outstanding Corporate Citizen, including for his support of several Ad Council efforts. Ad Council, and the event raised a record $9.2 million to support its efforts.
The event was co-hosted by actors Angela Bassett and Lilly Singh, and professional athletes Lexie Brown (WNBA), Andrew Ladd (NHL) and Brandon Marshall (NFL) also made appearances to highlight the Ad Council’s efforts to resolve mental health issues. Pop soul singer Wyn Starks performed his hit songs “Who I Am” and “Run” and the event also featured live performances from Industrial Rhythm and Reggie Butler as well as the cast of [Examined] Human.
The annual dinner recognizes organizations and individuals who support the Ad Council and its work, including agencies that do the work pro bono. This year’s theme was “United for Change” and was co-chaired by Tara Walpert Levy, vice president, Americas at YouTube, and Rita Ferro, president of global advertising at The Walt Disney Company, who serve as president and vice president of the Ad Council. board of directors, respectively.
The evening highlighted campaigns from the past year, including the long-running “Love has no label» effort to support the LGBTQ+ community and the organization’s ongoing gun safety campaigns.
In support of these campaigns, the event recognized two “Champions for Good” who are actively working to make a difference alongside the Ad Council. Carter Brown (co-founder and executive director of the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC)) supports the Black transgender community as a transgender man who understands the challenges of marginalized communities.
Dr. Jose M. Prince, vice chair of pediatric surgical services at Northwell Health and surgeon-in-chief at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, is a partner in the Ad Council’s gun violence prevention initiative. He spoke about the trauma families and health care workers experience when caring for young victims of gun violence.
Videos of Brown and Dr. Prince, produced by eMotion Studios and directed by Bryan Rawles, were featured during the program. The partnership was secured thanks to Adobe, which acted as sponsor of the evening’s creative content.
“When we come together for change, we create an exponential impact that is far greater than any one of us could do alone,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. The Ad Council’s Public Service Awards Dinner is the organization’s largest fundraising event.
