Robin Hood Foundation helping veterans with Lady Gaga

These folks make it easy to like rich people again.

Lady Gaga, Afghan, Iraqi War Veterans Take Center Stage at Robin Hood Gala
By Patrick Cole - May 9, 2011
When the Robin Hood Foundation was searching for a big-name performer to lure hedge-fund executives to its gala tonight, board member Doug Morris had the perfect bait.

Morris, who left Universal Music Group’s chief executive post in January and will join Sony Music Entertainment as chairman in July, put in a call to Lady Gaga, who was on his artists roster. She immediately accepted the invitation to perform free at Manhattan’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The foundation sold all of its 4,100 tickets last month at prices ranging from $3,000 for individuals to $30,000 to $250,000 for a table of 10.

“We were thrilled when she accepted,” David Saltzman, Robin Hood’s executive director, said in a phone interview. “She’s the biggest solo performer in the world, and she’s a native New Yorker who cares deeply about the city.”

The charity will also ask attendees to support a new fundraising initiative to assist U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, reservists and national guardsmen living in poverty in New York.

Former NBC “Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw will moderate a discussion with Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, to talk about the problems veterans face.

Table Drive

Saltzman said the nonprofit wanted to highlight struggling U.S. service personnel because it’s seeing an increase in veterans at food pantries, homeless shelters and health clinics funded by Robin Hood. He met earlier this year with Mullen, who said that dozens of war veterans are committing suicide each week and suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and depression after serving on the battlefield.

“Admiral Mullen told us that our country is pretty good at fighting wars, but we’re not as good at taking care of our veterans,” Saltzman said. “It’s now time to serve those who serve us.”
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Lady Gaga, Afghan, Iraqi War Veterans