The Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai rolled out the red carpet on May 9 to honor actress Diane Lane with the Woman of the 21st Century Award and Gretchen Pace, the Vice President and General Manager of Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, with the Humanitarian Award at its annual spring luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. The afternoon featured an Akris fashion show presented by Neiman Marcus, which included 40 looks from the Fall/Winter collection, a silent auction with designer handbags donated by Elyse Walker, and a raffle with fine jewelry from XIV Karats and other luxury items to benefit some of Cedars-Sinai Hospital’s most critical work.
“Today we celebrate, and we embrace the warrior spirit in each of us,” said Lynne Brookman, Women’s Guild President. “Diane, you’re stunning, unforgettable, riveting performances have mesmerized us for decades. Gretchen, your courage, your grace and your resilience resonate to our very core. You both embody what it is to be an icon, a superhero, a princess warrior. It is the profound vision and generosity of our Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai family that has transformed our magnificent, superpower world of a hospital, Cedars-Sinai.”
Funds raised at the luncheon will go to the Women’s Guild Neurology Project, which is led by Nancy L. Sicotte, M.D., the Women’s Guild Distinguished Chair in Neurology and Shervin Rabizadeh, M.D., MBA, the Women’s Guild Distinguished Chair in Pediatrics. Launched in 2019, the Neurology Project is a $7 million initiative to support pioneering research, education and advanced understanding to better diagnose, treat and prevent complex neurological disorders.
“We know well that the Hollywood industry tends to think highly of itself, but really, we are painfully aware that we are not curing any scary problems,” Lane told the audience of ladies in the ballroom. “You take on the real bad guys in the real world, creating your own healing through your passion, dedication, and raising over $70 million to date to support world-class health care.”
When called up to receive her award, Pace shared her experience at the Cedars-Sinai Neurological ICU when she was treated for an extensive brain hemorrhage in July of 2022. “During the three weeks that I spent there, I received the most extraordinary, compassionate care that I could have ever hoped for,” she said.
“As my prognosis improved, many people said that my survival meant that I had something left to do…” Pace added. “After the last few years, I had some urgency about getting on that contribution that I still had ahead of me.”
The event was chaired by Penny Goldwater, Linda Lippman and Atoosa Nehorai, with Wendy Goldberg, Lorette Gross and Barbara Herman serving as Advisory Chairs, Cathy Louchheim and Daniele Worth Ochoa as Honorary Luncheon Chairs, and Tracy Oswald Berger, Jodi Galen and Barbara Marcus as Opportunity Chairs. The luncheon was hosted by journalist and entertainment reporter Amanda Luttrell Garrigus.
Previous Women’s Guild projects have supported the Women’s Guild Simulation Center for Advanced Clinical Skills, Women’s Guild Lung Institute, the Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center—A Project of Women’s Guild at Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and the Women’s Guild Chair in Gastroenterology led by Shelly Lu, M.D.
