Stars Come Out For The Congo

On Wednesday, February 18, the stars came out to join Children Mending Hearts for an event honoring International Medical Corps for their dedication in supporting the women and children victimized by war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The event was hosted by writer/producer Grant Heslov – of “Good Night and Good Luck” – and his wife Lysa at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. With Oscar week at a fever pitch, the A-list crowd was in town to support a good cause and listen to the musical styling of Sheryl Crow. Anderson Cooper was also honored for his work

In attendance for the event were Alyssa Milano – looking stunning in red satin – Ben Affleck, Joel Madden, Hank Azaria and many others.

When asked about his show of support for the event, Affleck replied: “I am involved because I spent some time with the international medical corps in the refugee camps they work in Goma and North Kebo which is in the Eastern Congo as well as a little bit in Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan. I got a chance to see what their work was like…I have personally seen them save lives and I was so struck by it that the least I could do was come to a party.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered 20 years of continuous fighting which has led to an estimated 5.4 million deaths. Lysa Heslov, has personally traveled the DR Congo in January of 2009. She filmed her efforts to raise awareness.

While on the red carpet, actor Hank Azaria admitted that events like this one help to raise awareness for him.

Actress Andie MacDowell was also in attendance and shared her thoughts with The Associated Press: “I want to participate in education and teaching people about what’s happening in the Congo, because I think unfortunately we don’t know. And I think knowledge is everything and once people understand what’s happening and start voicing their opinions about what’s happening – to women particularly in the Congo, about all these women being raped – we can make a change. People are powerful.”