Mattel Party on the Pier

 

 

Mattel Party on the Pier 2016

A sold out crowd of over 2,000 guests and many of television and film’s biggest celebrities showed their support and celebrated the 16th Annual Mattel Party on the Pier on September 27th at the world-famous Santa Monica Pier, and helped raise record-breaking figures for UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Actress and Chief Mom of her new company FoodStirs, Sarah Michelle Gellar, welcomed guests and hospital patients to the star-studded event and played with the kids at mini hoops and other games with long-time friend Mark-Paul Gosselaar who attended the event with his family for a second year.

Dr. Sherin Devaskar, physician-in-chief of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, awarded 4-time Emmy-winning director David Silverman, best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series “The Simpsons,” with the honorary title of Doctor of Joy and a special Doctor of Joy lab coat, in recognition of the joy he’s brought to kids of all ages through his work in comedy. Patient Sam Bathfield, who was diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and treatments at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, shared inspiring words to the crowd about the importance of funds for patients like himself and other children at the hospital.

Guests enjoyed carnival games and unlimited rides on the hot summer Sunday. Parents, kids and V.I.P’s took home reusable Mattel Party on the Pier gift bags filled with toys donated from Mattel and enjoyed delicious food provided by Wolfgang Puck in the LA Dodgers Foundation themed V.I.P. tent with bobble head décor, produced by Santa Monica-based yourBASH!

Net proceeds from ticket sales and monies raised from the silent auction benefit UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. For the past 16 years, Mattel Party on the Pier has provided unrestricted funding to launch high-priority programs and support innovative research discoveries that benefit children being treated at UCLA and around the world. Recent support has been directed to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gene-therapy programs, research on autism-related epilepsy and treatments to improve immune function for children who have undergone chemotherapy and bone-marrow transplants.