Sean Penn and His Famous Friends Hit New York City for Haiti Takes Root Charity Event

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Sean Penn is an actor that keeps on giving...

On Friday night, the Oscar winner and some of his Hollywood insider friends, Dreamworks SKG's David Geffen and Creative Artists Agency's head honcho Bryan Lourd, will be hosting the Haiti Takes Root event at Sotheby's in New York City.

The dinner and auction, which will be emceed by Gayle King, is to support Penn's charity, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The charity hosts an annual gala in Los Angeles, but this will is the first time Penn will be taking his cause to the Big Apple. 

The benefit intends to help the organization's movement to reforest and rebuild Haiti. Tickets start at $5K and there will be a live auction, which features works of art by Ed Ruscha, Henry Taylor, Deborah Kass, Thomas Houseago and Jonas Wood. Audra Day and Damien Rice will be performing at the star-studded event. 

The live auction has a slew of VIP experiences, including a soccer experience with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, a trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix, an art and culinary trip to Denmark with Noma chef René Redzepi, and a private tour and dinner at James Turrell's Roden Crater, led by Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

In addition to some of New York's biggest luminaries being in attendance, the guest list is set to include Bravo's Andy Cohen, Foxcatcher director Bennett Miller, Neil Patrick Harris and more.

Penn, who is the founder and Chairman of the Board of J/P HRO and Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti, has said of the organization's campaign: "In Haiti, having trees is a matter of life and death. They give food, they protect the soil, and they provide shelter from the storm. If we can’t reverse deforestation—and do it now—the deck is going to continue to be stacked against Haitians already struggling to survive."

The charitable 56-year-old added, "This auction is about getting at these root causes of Haiti’s challenges. It’s about giving the Haitians the tools they need and planting the seeds for a better future."

According to the organization's press release, Haiti takes Root is a 10 year, $300 million partnership to support local agriculture.

"The goal of J/P HRO is to support the residents of the camps we managed and surrounding areas transition from vulnerability to resilient, sustainable, and prosperous communities."