Ashanti had the whole ballroom on its feet at the end, and by then the arithmetic was already settled. Five hundred guests at the sold-out Night of Miracles Gala on Saturday, October 17, raised more than $4 million for Miracles for Kids, a record for the Irvine nonprofit and its 22nd annual gala at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point, California.
The night, titled The Miracle of Tomorrow and presented by Anthony Geisler’s Sequel Brands, was built around families whose children are in treatment for life-threatening illnesses. Miracles for Kids pays bills, covers housing, delivers basic needs and runs wellness programs for those families, work meant to keep a medical crisis from becoming a financial collapse. The gala is where much of that money arrives, and this year it arrived in layers.
Where the $4 million came from
The Fund-a-Need portion of the program brought in $2,388,000 in direct pledges. Sequel Brands then matched the $1,201,000 raised in the room, dollar for dollar. The live auction added $539,000 on lots that ranged from an Avengers: Doomsday premiere to a St. Barth’s villa for 12 and a Big Sky, Montana, getaway for 16. The Puppy Love lot, an 11-week-old mini Goldendoodle, found a home with the Diamond Wish family for $14,000, and a 65.74-carat diamond tennis necklace donated by Happy Jewelers raised $50,100. Nearly 200 silent auction items ran alongside.
“The Miracle of Tomorrow reflects what our community can accomplish together,” said Autumn Strier, the co-founder and CEO of Miracles for Kids. “Raising more than $4 million allows us to continue providing financial support, housing, wellness services, basic needs, and stability to patients and their families, so they can focus on what matters most: their child’s health.”
A Miracle Maker who shows up
The 2026 Miracle Maker honor went to Quy “Q” Nguyen, founder and CEO of Allyance Communications, and the room gave him two standing ovations. Nguyen met Strier in 2009 and has supported the organization for more than 17 years. In 2010 he helped create a turkey delivery program for families through the Basket of Miracles program, and his company later mobilized employees and friends to deliver meals and holiday support through Allyance Cares. “Q embodies what it means to be a Miracle Maker because he doesn’t simply support our mission from a distance, he shows up,” Strier said when the honor was announced on October 6.
Merge Opportunities, which connects family members with education and job training through the organization’s Pillars Program, received the 2026 Champion of Children honor. The honored family was the Zarates. Jayden Zarate was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia at age 5, when his family was already in financial hardship. Miracles for Kids provided housing assistance and basic necessities. Jayden is now in remission and continues daily oral chemotherapy, and his mother now faces a leukemia diagnosis of her own.
Three record years in a row
The total keeps climbing. The 2024 gala raised more than $3.25 million, the 2025 gala raised nearly $3.5 million, and this year’s figure passed $4 million. Carolina Rial, a 23-year-old singer who has performed alongside Andrea Bocelli, opened the show with “A Million Dreams” while Miracles for Kids children stood beside her holding signs with their own dreams written on them. Manny “Streetz” Guevara emceed. Ashanti closed with a 30-minute set, singing “Happy,” “Foolish,” “Rock Wit U” and “Always on Time” while videos of Nelly, Ja Rule and Fat Joe played behind her.
“I’ve been proud to support Miracles for Kids for many years, and it’s incredible to see how much this event has grown and the impact it continues to make,” Geisler said. The 2027 Night of Miracles Gala is set for Saturday, October 30, back at Monarch Beach.
The Social Register’s event directory tracks the season’s galas, benefits, and society evenings. Plan your next evening there.
