Thanksgiving Day concert to honor Nurse Heroes
Celine Dion is among the vocalists performing during the Nurse Heroes concert Thanksgiving.
Celebrities and philanthropists including Sandi and Bill Nicholson of Montecito are joining forces to honor Nurse Heroes with an all-star concert to be broadcast worldwide at 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
The “Nurse Heroes Live!” concert will provide much-needed funds for programs including scholarships for nurses and their children.
The show will feature iconic artists including the Black Eyed Peas, Andrea Bocelli, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, David Foster, Katharine McPhee Foster, Josh Groban, Carole King, Maluma, Leslie Odom Jr., Pitbull, Allen Stone, The Wailers and Stevie Wonder.
Carole King will perform during the concert.
Artists will include Andrea Bocelli.
Stevie Wonder is among the concert’s performers.
Gloria Estefan will sing during the Nurse Heroes concert.
The concert will be hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, and there will be special appearances by Billy Crystal, Montecito celebrity Oprah Winfrey and more.
Taylor Swift will lend her support with a donation of a collectible edition Folklore guitar signed by her to be auctioned for the benefit of the Nurse Heroes Foundation. A choir of 50 nurses will perform as an ensemble with featured celebrities.
The “Nurse Heroes Live!” concert is produced by 19-time Grammy Award winner Emilio Estefan, who said, “I’ve had the privilege of producing some very special concerts, but the response from celebrities for Nurse Heroes has been extraordinary. Combined, the celebrities have over 450 million fans following them on social media.
“Together we can change the future. With this concert, we will help NurseHeroes.org fund programs,” Mr. Estefan said. “The international following of the celebrities performing in the concert creates a global opportunity to come together and help change the future of nursing for the benefit of all.”
During the event, select pieces from the “Women Who Dared” art collection will be seen by the public for the first time.
Owned by Sandi and Bill Nicholson, longtime residents of Montecito, it is the largest collection of work exclusively by women artists in private hands. The collection includes art spanning 2,500 years from all seven continents and tells the story of grit and perseverance of women in the arts while celebrating their incredible artistic talents.
“Bill and I are delighted to select the nurses of Northwell Health as the first beneficiaries of Nurse Heroes and the ‘Women Who Dared’ collection for their legacy of contributions to the communities they serve and the distinguished service provided by their frontline healthcare and nursing professionals during the COVID crisis,” said Ms. Nicholson.
Billy Crystal will make a special appearance during the concert.
“Together we can change the future. With this concert, we will help NurseHeroes.org fund programs,” said Emilo Estefan, the Grammy winner producing the “Nurse Heroes Live!” Concert.
The Nurse Heroes concert will feature art owned by Montecito philanthropists Sandi and Bill Nicholson.
“About 90% of the world’s nurses are women. There is an urgency to supporting our nurses and their families as we face a rapidly accelerating shortage of nurses around the world. If nothing changes, within three years we will have about 1 million fewer nurses than we need in the United States and 2 million fewer than needed in Europe, and it’s a similar story in countries everywhere.”
Northwell Health is one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. and the largest in New York. During the COVID-19 crisis, Northwell Health has been at the epicenter, providing medical care to more than 100,000 COVID patients with the support of a team of 77,000 employees, including over 3,300 physicians and 20,000 nurses.
“Nurses are the lifeblood of the medical community. Their compassion, dedication and empathy are critical to helping our sickest and most vulnerable heal,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health.
“Yet we are currently facing a shortage of nurses in the United States. This is a crisis we must address now, and funds raised from the Nurse Heroes concert will go toward continuing education scholarships for nurses and future nurses.”
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
The Nurse Heroes concert will stream live at 4 p.m. Thursday PT on Thanksgiving Day. To view it, go to live.nurseheroes.org. For more information about Nurse Heroes, visit www.nurseheroes.org.
