Our deep gratitude to our incredible sponsors, donors, and supporters who helped Only Make Believe raise over $450,000 in honor of our 21st Annual Virtual Gala!

Though we could not gather in person, this year's Gala encompassed all the magic and make believe of Only Make Believe Galas past – VIRTUALLY! With live appearances and performances by friends from Broadway and beyond singing melodies from the wonderful world of Rodgers & Hammerstein, we were excited to celebrate a year of incredible transformation for our organization.

The evening featured performances from OMB friends and family from Broadway and beyond including the star of the Tony® Award-winning Revival of Oklahoma! Rebecca Naomi Jones, 2020 Tony Award Nominee Lauren Patten, Tony Nominated Actors Brad Oscar and Christopher Sieber, Emmy Award Nominee Seth Rudetsky, and GRAMMY® Award-winning Tenor Karim Sulayman, alongside special appearances by Young Sheldon star Iain Armitage, Tony Award-Winning Playwright Joe DiPietro, Grace and Dashel Hammerstein, and Tony Award-Winner Ruthie Ann Miles. We were also thrilled to present a custom cocktail from Bobby Flay, an improv cabaret from Jason Kravits, and a DJ’d after party with DJ YUNGUPTOWN!

Thank you again to everyone who sponsored, attended, and donated to this year’s virtual Gala during this extraordinary time.

We are excited this year to honor our facility partner in make believe:

2020 OMB Star Award

Manhattan Star Academy

Only Make Believe Partner Facility Since 2012

Manhattan Star Academy (MSA) fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary learning environment. This promotes independence and inclusivity so that MSA students can participate in a global community. Our families are our partners in achieving this vision.

MSA‘s mission is to provide a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate program which focuses on the whole student. Instructional activities are designed for each student to maximize their full potential and be as independent as possible. Our learning environment promotes the active engagement of our students utilizing a multi-modality approach to learning to facilitate the acquisition of academic and life skills. At MSA, we believe our families are an integral part in the growth of our students and members of our school community.

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Live American Sign Language Interpretation was provided during the event by Invest In Access.