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Stamford, Conn. – April 17, 2026 – Actor, Director, Producer and Americares Board Member Tony Goldwyn was honored for his lifetime of philanthropy at the 2026 Americares Airlift Benefit last night at Pier Sixty in New York City.
Television Creator, Producer, Author and CEO of Global Media Company Shondaland Shonda Rhimes presented Goldwyn with the distinguished Bob and Leila Macauley Humanitarian Spirit Award during a special on-stage moment. The star-studded event raised $2 million for Americares health programs for people affected by poverty or disaster around the world.
“If I do leave a legacy as a humanitarian, I hope it is this: that I used my voice, my skills, my resources to make a difference, to make someone’s life better, and in so doing to make the world better,” Goldwyn said in his acceptance speech. “Let’s show we care—let’s act. Not just for the people we love but for the people we have yet to meet and may never know.”
Goldwyn has been involved with Americares for more than 20 years and he joined the board in 2018. He has volunteered countless hours hosting fundraising events, packing emergency kits for disaster survivors and traveling with the organization to see its lifesaving work firsthand. Goldwyn also dedicates much of his personal time to other organizations, including Stand Up To Cancer, Innocence Project, Second Stage Theater and the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
“When people watch someone they admire, someone they respect, someone they have invited into their living room every Thursday night for years—when they watch that person not just endorse a cause but embody it, something shifts. The permission structure changes,” Rhimes said. “Tony allows people to see him and think, ‘Maybe I can do more than I thought. Maybe I can go further than I planned. Maybe the moment I’ve been waiting for is actually right now.’ The most powerful thing a humanitarian can do is not just to inspire admiration—it’s to inspire action. Tony Goldwyn does both.”
Goldwyn’s current and former co-stars came out to support him at the event, including benefit Co-Hosts Jean Smart and Bellamy Young. Other notable guests included Cristen Barker, Nigel Barker, Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, Erica Hill, Ward Horton, Richard LaGravenese, Peter Levine, Marti Noxon, Orfeh, Barry Scheck, Ira Schreck, Tony Spiridakis, Dr. Tim Tiutan and Jason Weinberg.
Americares President and CEO Christine Squires asked the more than 500 supporters in attendance to “meet the moment” as humanitarian needs increase due to ongoing conflict, economic pressures, displacement and more intense natural disasters.
“Now is the time to double down. We must be better, faster and stronger—not to meet only the demands of today’s world, but also the increasingly complex challenges of tomorrow,” Squires said. “History is written in many ways. The history of our actions will be written in the lives of the people we help.”
Today, a group of benefit guests will join Americares first-ever airlift in the United States to see the impact the organization is making in Asheville, N.C, through its Hurricane Helene recovery work. Guests will take part in volunteer activities with Americares partner organizations and community groups, meet with health care workers supporting Helene survivors and hear how needs have evolved since the storm.
Airlift Benefit co-chairs included Roberta and Jim Conroy, John Goldwyn and Jeff Klein, Mark Gordon and Sally Whitehill, Susan Grossman and Kent Dombal, Erica Hill and David Yount, Kevin Huvane, Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger USCG (Ret.), Shonda Rhimes, Ira Schreck and Barbara Ginsberg, Jason Weinberg and Merritt Johnson and Joy and Eric Weintz, M.D. Host committee members included The Behrman Family, Holly and Adam Casella, Alexa and Ward Horton, Lori McEvoy and Kathi Lex, Marti Noxon, Shweta Rawat and Sarah and Alexander Saint-Amand.
Americares helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters; increase accessibility, availability, affordability and acceptability of medicine and medical supplies; improve and expand health services; and prevent disease and promote good health. Since it was established in 1979, Americares has provided over $24 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.
Event photos are available for download here.
Moffly Media is the exclusive regional magazine sponsor of the 2026 Americares Airlift Benefit. Event produced by STAMP Event Co.