Hosted by Lance Bass, the event at NeueHouse in Hollywood, California had special performances by Stevie Wonder, Jessie J, and LP.
Also present at the event were Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Pom, will.i.am, and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton spoke from a special video message.
Guests spotted at the event included Caitlyn Jenner, Matt Bomer, JC Chasez, Quinton Aaron, Torrey eVitto, Arielle Kebbel, Sophie Watts, Natasha Rubin, Ashley Bell, Nicholas Littlemore, and Gigi Rose Gray.
Highlights of the onePULSE event
At the start of the program, host Lance Bass told the crowd that he used to dance the night away at Pulse.
“I choose hope. Let us choose hope tonight and every night. Pulse was a place where you could dance freely and safely without the fear of being judged,” Bass said.
Meanwhile, will.i.am had the crowd in complete silence with his off-the-script remarks: “It’s important for us who chose to be here to continue to not forget. We cannot forget because the families who lost loved ones, it happened just yesterday to them.”
Grammy Award-winner Steve Wonder, who performed at the event, said: “By remembering that every time we hate someone, we’re also hating God, Allah, or whatever your religion may be, because I believe that we all must come together to put an end to this. Hate means more hate, but love plus love is the key.”
Supporting onePULSE and the Orlando victims
The onePULSE Foundation was created by the owners of Pulse Nightclub to help provide financial assistance to the victims affected by the June 12 attack at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Likewise, the foundation hopes to create a permanent memorial at the existing site.
Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma was touched by the outpouring of support after the tragedy.
“I was overwhelmed by the thousands of Pulse stories people around the world shared with me: the love stories, the funny stories, and the life-changing coming-out stories,” Poma said.
Via partners like CharityBuzz, Prizeo, and Omaze, people can donate to onePULSE by bidding on one-of-a-kind experiences from supporters like Mark Cuban, Lady Gaga, Ellen DeGeneres, Cyndi Lauper, Sir Richard Branson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, LP, Sarah Paulson, Robbie Rogers, and others.
If you want to donate to onePULSE, you can text ‘PULSE’ to 91999.