Disney's Rich Ross, Madeleine and Tom Sherak Honored at the STARS 2011 Benefit Gala for the Fulfillment Fund

Hosted by actor Jason Segel and Kermit the Frog, the evening featured a live performance by "The Lion King" theatrical cast

LOS ANGELES (November 2, 2011) - The Fulfillment Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising yet under-resourced Los Angeles students graduate from high school and complete college, honored Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, at its STARS 2011 Benefit Gala last evening, Tuesday, November 1, 2011, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. The evening included a Founders' Humanitarian Award presentation to Madeleine and Tom Sherak.

Jason Segel, co-writer, executive producer and star of Disney's The Muppets, served as master of ceremonies along with the upcoming film's star amphibian, Kermit the Frog. The star-studded, inspirational evening featured a live performance by the theatrical cast of Disney's classic The Lion King.

More than 900 guests attended the glittering event, co-chaired by acclaimed film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Creative Artists Agency Managing Partner Kevin Huvane, DreamWorks Studios Principal Partner/Co-Chairman/CEO Stacey Snider, and Disney Media Networks Co-Chairman and Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney.

"At the Fulfillment Fund, we help Los Angeles students overcome obstacles to pursuing the dream of a life-changing college education," said Fulfillment Fund CEO Andrea Cockrum. "We're so fortunate to have so many extraordinary supporters who are dedicated to helping promising youth from high-poverty communities stay on the path to higher education."

A unique live auction was hosted by actor/comedian Sinbad, and special guest Eva Longoria pulled the winning ticket for an opportunity drawing for a 2012 Fiat 500c donated by Motor Village LA. A highlight of the evening was a personal story from Fulfillment Fund alumna Norma Dominguez, a graduate of Brown and Harvard who returned as a mentor to current Fulfillment Fund student Edlyn Palafox, who spoke eloquently about the challenges she has faced in pursuing a college education.

For more than 34 years, the Fulfillment Fund has been dedicated to providing first-generation, low-income students in Los Angeles with the support necessary to graduate from high school, earn a college degree and become productive and successful members of society. Through classroom instruction, college counseling, mentoring and scholarships, the Fulfillment Fund transforms the lives of students. In 2011, Fulfillment Fund students graduated high school at a rate of 91 percent, and of those, 93 percent went on to college.