Magician Criss Angel has supported charities and particularly backed children's causes, like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, for many years. In 2009, he started his own foundation dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth, Believe Anything is Possible.
The work took on added importance when his son, Johnny Crisstopher, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015. Angel's personal focus on pediatric cancer soon made its way into his philanthropic endeavors as he renamed the foundation the Johnny Crisstopher Children's Charitable Foundation, and focused its efforts on pediatric cancer.
A year later, Angel is ready to put on an ambitious charity event in Las Vegas that calls on many of the talented performers and athletes connected to the entertainment capital. Angel said the goal is to raise $1 million in a single night.
"The National Cancer Institute's federal budget was $4.9 billion in 2015. Less than 3% of those funds were spent on the 12 major groups of pediatric cancer combined. This needs to change and I'm committed to do whatever it takes to get it done," Angel said in a release announcing the charity event.
The event will include a silent auction and numerous celebrity performances and appearances, including Jerry Lewis, Siegfried and Roy, Gary Oldman, Wayne Newton, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Gene Simmons, Andrew Dice Clay, Dee Snider, Tom Green, Randy Couture, Carrot Top, Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil.
All proceeds from the HELP Gala (Heal Every Life Possible) will go to charity, with Angel funding the operating costs of the organization. The foundation raises awareness of pediatric cancer and seeks to raise funds to support treatment and research toward a cure.
Criss Angel brought his magic to Las Vegas with the show "BeLIEve" in 2008. That show closed this year, and Angel immediately launched his new Vegas show, "Mindfreak Live."
For more information about the HELP Gala visit crissangelhelp.com.