On the evening of March 4, the Council of the Children’s Burn Foundation (CBF) hosted its Giving New Hope Benefit at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The event marked the 30th-anniversary celebration of Giving New Hope, with philanthropist Wallis Annenberg honored with the Spirit of Humanity award and Barbara and Charles Pratt, Jr. honored with the Giving New Hope award.
Founded in 1985 by the late Dr. Richard Grossman and the late actor and burn survivor McLean Stevenson, the CBF provides child burn survivors and their families with comprehensive healing and psychological support for recovery from burn trauma up to the age of 18 years old. The CBF also runs several prevention and education programs, including a permanent “Fire! Science & Safety” exhibit at the California Science Center, which brings the message of burn safety to over 400,000 children per year. In 1996, a volunteer group called The Council of Children’s Burn Foundation was established by Carol Mancino. The Council works to support the foundation’s fundraising and community outreach initiatives, including holding the Giving New Hope Benefit each year.
The benefit began with a silent auction follwed by dinner led by CBF Board of Trustees Member and former NBC4 weathercaster, Fritz Coleman. Past honorees of the Giving New Hope award joined Coleman on stage to celebrate 30 years of Giving New Hope, including Beverly Hills Fire Chief Gregory Barton.
The Giving New Hope 2025 award was then presented to Barbara and Charles Pratt, Jr. The Pratts are dedicated philanthropists with a long history of serving the CBF.
Executive Director of the CBF, Kirstin Clink, then shared some statistics about the CBF’s impact over the past year. In 2024, there was a 22% increase in outreach, allowing the CBF to provide service to over 164,000 children and their families.
“This growth is attributed to three decades of compassion and generosity,” Clink said.
Founding President of the Council, Carol Mancino, was next to address the audience, presenting the Spirit of Humanity award to Wallis Annenberg.
“Wallis is a world-renowned philanthropist and champion of children’s causes. She is a passionate advocate for social justice and community development, exemplifying her mission to uplift underserved populations and foster a brighter future for all children,” Mancino said.
Annenberg has been a vital advocate for burn prevention and recovery through her support of the CBF since its inception. Annenberg’s granddaughter Lily Annenberg accepted the award on behalf of her grandmother, and a prerecorded video of Wallis was played.
“I wish I could be with you in person tonight to accept your wonderful Spirit of Humanity award, but I wanted to send this message to tell you why it means so much to me,” Wallis said. “Imagine having to wake up in the morning and take a deep breath before looking in the mirror. Imagine wondering if other people will really see you for who you are, deep down inside. That’s what this work is about. That’s who we’re trying to heal. As a parent, grandparent and someone who’s felt like an outsider myself at times … someone who believes very deeply that no child should be left out or left behind, the work of the CBF couldn’t be more critical or viable.”
Annenberg ended the video by announcing a $500,000 donation to the CBF as her “honor and privilege” to continue to support the Foundation’s mission of healing and empowering children and preventing the trauma of burns.
A particular highlight of the evening was the live auction, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund. Beverly Hills Fire Chief Gregory Barton, who is an active member of the CBF Board and was the recipient of the 2024 Giving New Hope Award, shared details of the first live auction experience with guests. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Barton said. The experience includes a VIP tour of the Beverly Hills Fire Station for up to six people, meetings with the firefighters and a private fire engine ride along Rodeo Drive. In a surprise twist, two bidders were awarded the experience, each with a winning bid of $3,750.
Another meaningful auction item was a piece of artwork created by Los Angeles mural and graffiti artist Man One alongside members of the CBF’s Teen Support Group. The art piece features handmade panels conceived and created by the CBF teens. The winning bidder generously donated the painting back to the CBF to keep and allow the children to see their hard work in person.
The evening was attended by a number of community leaders, including Rick Caruso and members of the Beverly Hills Fire Department.
