Photos to come soon.
The numbers and the names piled up. Seventeen hundred people — a sold out house — filtered into the Austin Convention Center for the Livestrong gala on Friday.
Even before bidding on auction items, they had raised more than $1 million for the anti-cancer charity.
Jody and Douglas Feil
Livestrong staff forecast that before the evening ended, they’d gross $2.5 million.
The crowd split between Austin-wide donors like Suzanne Booth and Becky Beaver, wiry folks like Andrew Steinbrecher and Tyler Wain from Seattle who were in Austin for the Challenge, and others like Jody and Doug Feil from Frisco, Tex. who work for other cancer groups.
Andrew Steinbrecher and Tyler Wayne
Among the announced celebrities, only Maria Shriver canceled, citing a conflicting engagement.
That left Robin Williams, Sean Penn, Norah Jones, Stephen Marley, along with athletes like Eric Shanteau, Quan Cosby and Bo Jackson.
Jennifer and Darren Robinson
Among elected officials, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, State Sen. Kirk Watson, State Reps. Eddie Rodriguez, Donna Howard, Mark Strama, Paul Workman and Elliott Naishtat as well as Mayor Lee Leffingwell are also here.
Inside the vast hall, guests were greeted by a giant media display that brightly and loudly recounted the history of Livestrong and the half a billion dollars it has raised for anti-cancer causes.
Mona Rahman and Aaron Mushro
The question on everybody’s lips: Would founder Lance Armstrong’s troubles affect the charity?
“I really believe in the spirit of collaboration in the cancer field,” Doug Feil said. “People will rally around Livestrong.”
“Like Livestrong, we cancer survivors are committed to the cause,” Steinbrecher said. “I hope people separate Lance the cyclist from Lance the philanthropist.”
Grayson Lee and Alyssa Vidos
“I think it will make a positive comeback,” said Darren Robinson from Steamboat Springs, Colo. “From an historical perspective, the best performers continue to perform.”
Reported earlier: Remarks from Lance Armstrong
Courtney Robinson and Daniel Hayes
At one point, Armstrong returned to the stage, this time with Austin film star Matthew McConaughey.
“We’re just riffing because the electricity went weird,” Amrstrong says. On Bob Marley with cancer: “He believed he could play through it.”
McConaughey, philosophically: “When things happen, get relative.”
Armstrong: “That’s what I’m doing now.”