The latest casualty of the coronavirus is Marc Anthony and Henry Cárdenas’s annual Maestro Cares fundraising gala.
The “Changing Lives, Building Dreams” gala, which was celebrating its ninth annual event March 12 in New York City, has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.
A statement from Maestro Cares reads, “After careful deliberation, given the risks posed by Coronavirus, along with the recently declared state of emergency by State of New York, we have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to postpone our upcoming Maestro Cares Foundation Gala. Our primary focus is the health and safety of our guests, honorees, partners, community and team. We are looking to reschedule, and are working on potential dates. We will circle back with you as soon as we have further information.”
Since its inception, Maestro Cares has invested roughly $2 million per year into more than 20 projects in countries and territories like Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Peru, Puerto Rico and Chile, with the goal of improving the quality of life for orphaned and disadvantaged children.
This year’s gala will honor David Beckham, Jada Pinkett Smith, chef José Andrés and Mario López Estrada.