SeriousFun Children’s Network Hosts Star Studded “A Night of SeriousFun” Gala
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
Talent Participants Included Adam Driver, Ali Stroker, Ayo Edebiri, Darren Criss, Gregory Porter, Matthew Broderick, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Paul Rudd, Peter Gallagher, and Tom Hanks
The event celebrated what would have been founder, actor, and philanthropist Paul Newman’s 100th birthday year, on April 7 in New York City
NEW YORK (April 7, 2025) — SeriousFun Children’s Network, the global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses, today held its 2025 fundraising gala, A Night of SeriousFun, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in honor of what would have been founder Paul Newman’s 100th birthday year. The evening offered a star-studded celebration with performances by incredible artists alongside SeriousFun campers. Funds raised will enable SeriousFun to continue its mission to provide kids with serious illnesses a chance to reclaim their childhood, experience the pure joy of camp at no cost, find connection, and as Paul loved to say, “kick back and raise a little hell.”
The evening’s program included appearances by Adam Driver (actor), Ali Stroker (actor, singer), Ayo Edebiri(actor), Darren Criss (actor, singer), Gregory Porter(singer, songwriter), Matthew Broderick (actor), NaTasha Yvette Williams (actor, singer), Paul Rudd(actor), Peter Gallagher (actor), Tom Hanks (actor), as well as performances by SeriousFun campers.
SeriousFun Children’s Network ambassador and spokesperson, and youngest daughter of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Clea Newman, welcomed the audience by saying, “To Dad, changing the lives of kids with serious medical conditions was more than a vision, it was a mission. He would be so proud.”
Clea then welcomed actor Tom Hanks to the stage to say a few words about Paul Newman, “to honor, celebrate and support the vision of an American legend,” and to kick off the programming.
Program highlights include:
Channeling her character from The Bear, Ayo Edebiri was joined on stage by three young campers for a “Yes, Chef!” skit, where the actress tasted desserts made from each of the campers and tried to guess the secret ingredient used in each dish. After she guessed, the campers revealed the ingredients were actually “a teaspoon of giggles,” “a dash of bravery,” and “a cup of gratitude,” all also secrets to camp success.
Tony Award-winner Ali Stroker received a resounding standing ovation following incredible performances of “Be a Lion” from The Wiz and “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman, for the latter of which she was joined by adorable SeriousFun campers who sang with her.
Film, TV, and Broadway star Peter Gallagherreminisced about meeting Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne, when [Peter] was 26 and doing a play in The Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT, Newman’s home state; later in [Peter’s] career, he appeared alongside Paul Newman in The Hudsucker Proxy.
After his remarks, he performed alongside camper Lucas, singing “Memories are Made of This.”
Actor Matthew Broderick joined SeriousFun campers for a lighthearted game show where the campers shared famous film quotes and [Broderick] was tasked with identifying the film, with the last quote being, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t look around once in a while, you might miss it,” a nod to Broderick’s star-making role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Actor and singer, Darren Criss, who’s currently starring in Broadway’s Maybe Happy Ending, played both piano and electric guitar as he performed a mashup of two songs: “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Don’t Stop Me Now,” where he surprised audience members by weaving Paul’s name into the lyrics.
SeriousFun campers, wearing shirts with Paul Newman’s face on it, performed an original song titled “Raise a Little Hell” (after Paul’s favorite motto) while throwing t-shirts into the crowd. Campers included Mabel (aged 10), Jackson (aged 18), Hannah (aged 11), Leyma (aged 14), Violet (aged 10), Lucas (aged 8), Alice (aged 12), Cameron (aged 9), and Katharine (aged 12).
Actor Adam Driver took the stage to discuss Paul Newman’s career as a race car driver and philanthropist, remarking “racing cars and winning was Paul’s passion, but SeriousFun was his greatest victory.”
SeriousFun camper Leyma, in a fedora and pinstripe blazer, channeled his inner crooner as he sang “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra into an old-fashioned microphone.
Actor Paul Rudd spoke onstage about Paul Newman and SeriousFun, and introduced Kyle Smith who oversees grantmaking for the organization. Earlier in the night, he spoke on the carpet about celebrating the love, positivity and great work created by Paul Newman through SeriousFun.
Multi-Grammy winning musician Gregory Porterperformed renditions of “L-O-V-E” and “Smile”followed by NaTasha Yvette Williams who closed the show with a moving rendition of “Home.”
Each SeriousFun Member Camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve children free of charge. SeriousFun programming and facilities are skillfully adapted to be inclusive and accessible, taking into consideration the medical conditions and needs of all campers. The medical expertise at SeriousFun camps enables them to support children with more than 100 different conditions including cancer, HIV, blood disorders, heart diseases, neurologic conditions, and genetic and metabolic disorders.
A Night of SeriousFun was supported by Newman’s Own Foundation, Synchrony, ASML, Abercrombie & Fitch and Gemline. For more information about SeriousFun, visit seriousfun.org.
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