“We started this together 12 years ago,” Kimora said to attendees. “I hosted it every year forever and then I had to turn over the duties, and now we are back as a family and we are so excited. It is a great night.”
Brothers Rev Run and Danny Simmons and nieces Angela and Vanessa Simmons were among the Simmons family members who showed up to support Russell.
Grammy-winning singer Jennifer Hudson performed before a star-studded audience filled with famous faces, including Mary J. Blige, Taraji P. Henson, Star Jones, and LaLa Anthony. Hip hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari also kept guests entertained throughout the evening.
Many guests placed bids on one-of-a-kind items to help raise money for the non-profit organization, showing their continued support for the Simmons family.
“The history of our nonprofit Rush Philanthropic is a family history, one of brothers helping one another to help those less fortunate than themselves,” Danny Simmons told The Huffington Post earlier this year when the Art for Life Charity Auction began.
Brother Russell is equally humble, saying back then, ”We learned the value of standing up for what you believe in from our parents. The three of us brothers (Danny, Joseph and I) were incredibly lucky to come from a background that encouraged creative expression.”