LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: John Legend performs on stage at the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
Los Angeles Dodgers Host 4th Annual Blue Diamond Gala with John Legend & Arsenio Hall
The Dodgers rolled out the blue carpet for their star-studded charity event Blue Diamond Gala, which raised over $2.2 million, and has invested more than $21 million in the Los Angeles community in the form of direct programs and grants to local organizations since its inception.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: View inside the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
10 time Grammy winner John Legend performed for over an hour at the celebration and George Lopez and Arsenio Hall co-hosted the event.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: George Lopez and Arsenio Hall attends the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
“I don’t want to sound cliche, but I’m a man of a certain age and was born in the ghetto of Cleveland. I loved baseball. Me and my grandmother used to listen to baseball on the radio. I remember sitting on the front porch and she would teach me about baseball,” Hall told The Voluntourist.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: Arsenio Hall attends the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
He added, “During those times I wanted to play, but you actually didn’t have a bat. You didn’t have a helmet and you didn’t have a ball. We had a league ball that had black electrical tape because the threads were starting to tear and we were trying to keep it together. And I didn’t have a glove. This organization makes sure the kids who want to learn to play baseball, the kids that want to learn the game have a field, have equipment. But they don’t just deal with baseball. They deal with health and they deal with education. I love this organization. They’ve been doing this event for four years, they’ve been around for about 13 years and it’s about time I get off my lazy butt and came over here to help. I’m getting involved in this organization because it was what I needed as a kid and it didn’t exist.”
“The Arrangement” star Josh Henderson also attended the gala and revealed why it’s important for him to support the foundation.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: Josh Henderson attends the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
“The Dodgers and I have had a long relationship since I’ve been here in LA. Everything they do I know for it’s for a great cause whether it’s for inner city kids or cancer research. I’m always here to support. I’ve been given such a platform and a stage in this life, God has blessed me so much I feel like my job is to give back. I really do think that’s a responsibility that I have. Use your platform for good and for helping people. I love that and it makes me feel better than almost anything else,” he said.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: Dodger mascots on the carpet at the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: John Legend and Chrissy Teigen attends the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: Kourtney Turner and Justin Turner attend the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: Clayton Kershaw and Ellen Kershaw attend the Fourth Annual Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation )
For more information on the Blue Diamond Gala check out their site.