CENTURY CITY, Calif., Dec. 2001–Standing side-by-side inside the St. Regis Hotel, it was difficult to tell which was more dazzling: Sela Ward, she of the perfect cheekbones and amazing 40-something figure, or the Christmas tree artfully adorned in glittery gems from jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. Both looked like a million bucks, and the holiday glow they gave off was sparkling for a very good cause.
The Emmy-winning star of Once and Again was on hand to help unveil what was billed as “the world’s most expensive Christmas tree,” a faux fir decorated with 186 pieces of high-end diamond jewelry-612 carats total–provided by the famed French jeweler. Topping the tree was a stunning one-of-a-kind platinum, diamond and emerald necklace and earring set with 646 individual stones, valued at $2,630,000.
“I feel just like Vanna [White],” joked Ward as she posed for photos with the tree, which was bedecked with butterflies, flowers and other signature Van Cleef & Arpels items.
The total cash value of the ornamentation was left a mystery; instead, guests guessed the combined worth of the gems hoping to win one of the tree’s baubles–a diamond ring–for themselves.
Ward may have been in a festive mood, but her intentions were very serious. “The St. Regis is graciously donating a portion of the proceeds to a charity that my husband and I started called Hope Village for Children, a non-profit organization in Meridian, Mississippi, my hometown,” she told me over Dom Perignon mimosas.
“Basically we’re creating a state-of-the-art orphanage for the 21st century, creating warm, loving nurturing environments because foster care is clearly not working,” she continued. “More kids are killed or abused in foster care than not. People take the kids because they get paid to do so, not because they necessarily love them…That is the sad reality.”
Ward aims to correct that. She decided to establish Hope Village during the holidays two years ago, while taking Christmas gifts to kids in a shelter in her hometown. “I just fell in love with these two little brothers, and they were going to separate them. All that they had left in the world that they could hold onto was each other. It just killed me.
“There was this abandoned children’s home in town…the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel’s Kids program gave us enough money to purchase the property. We open our doors Dec. 27. It’s a great holiday for me.” Once up and running, Hope Village for Children will provide immediate residential short-term care and therapy for abused and neglected children who have not thrived in foster care.
Ward told me she’s going to be in Mississippi for the holiday season, not just for Hope Village but to spend time with her family and friends. And when we spoke, she revealed she hadn’t yet had time to make out her own wish list. “I’ve been too busy worrying about what the kids want!”
When I asked her if there was anything on the Christmas tree that caught her eye, she didn’t hesitate: “Everything! Would you tell my husband that, please?” she laughed.
