Refugees International sure attracts a diverse lot. Diplomats, members of Congress, American fashion royalty, actual royalty and some commoners too, attended Thursday night’s annual dinner, along with two actors who have long been associated with the group: Matt Dillon and Sam Waterston.
Dillon’s relationship has been for some 15 years, being introduced to RI through the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who he met through Robert De Niro. “I’m really glad that happened because I’ve met some remarkable people,” Dillon told Yeas & Nays. Holbrooke’s widow, author Kati Marton, was pretty impressed with Dillon too, calling him, “a great humanitarian, who also starred in Richard’s favorite movie, ‘There’s Something about Mary,’ ” she gushed before presenting the Richard C. Holbrooke Leadership Award to Haitian activist Colette Lespinasse.
Waterston told Yeas & Nays that he’s been working with Refugees International for 25 years. That being said, he forgot that the annual event wasn’t black-tie, and sported a tuxedo. “I obviously didn’t get the memo about the dress code,” he told the audience. “I’m giving remarks so I don’t get confused with the wait staff.” Waterston’s job was to dole out the organization’s congressional awards, given to the late Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. “When I saw him in a tuxedo, I thought I had missed the memo,” Smith joked on stage.
The big award winner of the night was model, designer and FEED founder Lauren Bush Lauren, who accented her long Ralph Lauren dress with a FEED 1000 bag. “For every purse sold, we are able to give 1,000 meals,” she explained. “This is our fanciest bag, so it’s sold at Neiman Marcus and Judith Leiber stores and it’s $495.” At the end of the evening, Queen Noor of Jordan presented Lauren with the McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. “This is completely surreal, I am such a fan of her work and she is a hero to me,” Lauren gushed. “I actually found out backstage that she actually has a FEED bag, which also makes my night.”
