Award-winning actor and producer Bryan Cranston — best known for his iconic roles in “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Breaking Bad”— will host the 2024 Americares Airlift Benefit Thursday, April 11, in New York City.
The benefit will celebrate the organization’s 45 years of life-changing health programs for people affected by poverty or disaster and the health workers and partners who make the programs possible.
“I’m deeply honored to serve as the host for this year’s Airlift Benefit and champion the vital work Americares is doing to save lives and improve health,” said Cranston. “From Ukraine to Colombia, Americares is making a difference every day with life-saving health programs and deliveries of medicine and medical supplies.”
The benefit will take place at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport with cocktails, dinner, dancing and inspirational stories about the impact Americares is making in the United States and around the world. Longtime Americares supporters Ignacio and Samhita Jayanti, Alexander and Sarah Saint-Amand, Mike and Lisa Ullmann and Eric and Joy Weintz are co-chairing this year’s benefit, produced by STAMP Event Co.
The next morning, a group of guests will depart on a 48-hour journey to Colombia, where Americares operates health centers and mobile clinics in 10 cities for families fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and other underserved populations. Over the past seven years, more than 7 million people have fled instability in Venezuela, with Colombia hosting nearly 2.9 million displaced children and adults — the most in the region. The Americares clinics help to alleviate the strain the population influx has put on the Colombian health system as well as support the health needs of host communities. Guests on the airlift will visit health facilities, take part in volunteer activities and meet Colombian workers, patients and community leaders and see the impact Americares is making firsthand.
“We are thrilled to have the incredibly talented Bryan Cranston host the 2024 Americares Airlift Benefit and help us raise critical funds to make a meaningful impact in the lives of people affected by poverty or disaster,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires.
Cranston first became involved with Americares in 2020 when he and his wife, actor Robin Dearden, performed a skit for Covid is No Joke, a virtual celebrity comedy benefit for Americares. He became further engaged through Americares Board Member and Actor, Director, Producer Tony Goldwyn, who co-starred with him in the Broadway play “Network,” for which Cranston won a Tony Award.
A leader in the humanitarian sector, Americares is No. 9 on Forbes 2023 list of Top 100 Charities and a four-star rated charity — the highest possible — by Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.
Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies.
