Vanderpump Rules’ star Lala Kent honored with the 2022 Spirit of Sobriety
by Kelsey Allen
Lala Kent speaks at the Summer Spectacular — Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images
Vanderpump Rules’ Lala Kent, Lisa Vanderpump, and Katie Maloney walked the red carpet Sept. 10, but it wasn’t for a movie premiere or award show. They were at the Summer Spectacular event held by the Brent Shapiro Foundation in Beverly Hills, California, where Kent was celebrated for her recovery journey and given the Spirit of Sobriety Award.
Created by famed attorney Robert Shapiro and his wife, Linell, whose son Brent tragically died of a drug overdose in 2005, the foundation provides programs and tools to prevent substance abuse issues in youths. The money raised at the gala goes to the heart of the foundation, Brent’s Club, a program where pre-teens and teens are educated about drug abuse and informed how to prevent dangerous habits from developing through tutoring, counseling, and once-in-a-lifetime outings.
“This foundation does incredible work,” Kent wrote on Instagram on Sept. 12. “Taking pain and tragedy and turning it into purpose—giving kids the opportunity to a bright future by incentivizing them to stay sober in their most vulnerable and impressionable years.”
The annual invite-only gala marked the 17th year of the foundation, which has now raised over $20 million for drug awareness and prevention. Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez hosted the event, which featured musical performances by rapper/singer Flo Rida and American Idol singer Pia Toscano. Brent’s Club scholarship winners Luke Godinez, Celso Carrasco, Alexis Lara, and Ariel Quero were given full four-year scholarships to attend UCLA, UC San Diego, Berkeley, and New York University, respectively, and the Spirit of Sobriety Award was presented to Kent. Joining the likes of past honorees including Rob Lowe, Demi Lovato, and Will Arnett, Kent has spoken publicly about her struggles with alcoholism and her recovery journey. In 2019, she posted on Instagram about her first year of sobriety, calling it the “biggest accomplishment I’ve ever had in my life and the one I am most proud of.”
Other celebrities in attendance were Shahs of Sunset stars Reza Farahan and Golnesa Gharachedaghi, Mayans MC actors Antonio Jaramillo and Frankie Loyal, comedian Heather McDonald, TV host Jason Wahler, General Hospital stars Josh Swickard and Joshua Benard, and dancer Khandi Alexander.
“I’m grateful for the people who have supported me in my sober journey, protecting me and believing in me,” Kent wrote on Instagram after the event. “I am blessed beyond words. Thank you to Bob and Linell Shapiro for this great honor. Together, we will not only change lives but save them, in honor of Brent.”
For more information on the foundation, visit www.brentshapiro.org.
Photos by Andrew Toth/Getty Images
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