Lifting As We Climb Virtual Gala 2020
Celebrating a year of perseverance and dedication, in a time unlike any other.
On December 10, 2020, A New Way of Life hosted a Virtual Gala to celebrate a year of perseverance and dedication during a time unlike any other. Hosted by Kristen Bell, and featuring special guests Soledad O’Brien, Natalie Portman, Chris Martin and Felicity Huffman.
A Year Apart
Lifting our Community
Let’s reflect on what we’ve accomplished amid the chaos as we continue to create pathways to freedom through the pandemic. Endure the fight with us as we lift our community and continue to climb to a higher ground, together.
Our Host
Kristen Bell
While Kristen Bell is best known for her roles on TV and in film, it’s her tireless work on behalf of social justice causes that connected her to A New Way of Life.
In 2020, Bell launched Happy Dance—a line of personal-care products—and is donating one percent of profits to A New Way of Life. As Bell said in an interview with Forbes, it was not lost on her “that the BIPOC community has been adversely affected for marijuana-based crimes throughout history, and because CBD is pulled from the same strand of the hemp plant, we thought it was the perfect chance to donate one percent of profits back to this amazing organization.”
2020 Special Guests
Soledad O’Brien
Natalie Portman
Chris Martin
Felicity Huffman
2020 Honorees
Dr. Bill Resnick
Humanitarian Award
Michael J. Stubbs
Humanitarian Award
Yolanda Sims
Flozelle Woodmore Memorial Award
2020 Sponsors
Roxanne Donovan and Tom Scarangello • Facebook • Elizabeth Hemmerdinger and Alix L.L. Ritchie • Margaret Munzer Loeb • The Muriel Pollia Foundation • Anya Salama and Albert I. Salama • Andrew Solomon and John Habich Solomon • Tishman Speyer
