Glasswing International Honors Howard G. Buffett and Valentina Ferrer at Its 10th Annual Gala

At Glasswing International’s 10th annual gala last night, philanthropist Howard Warren Buffett announced an additional $11.6 million donation to the nonprofit on behalf of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

“Our foundation’s core mission is to catalyze transformational change to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations,” Howard G. Buffett, chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, said in a press release. “Glasswing has been a key partner for us in that effort in Latin America, where we have not only been able to impact the lives of millions of young people, but also demonstrate what is possible when you invest in communities.” At the event, he was awarded the Humanitarian Award.

Howard Warren Buffett accepts the Glasswing Humanitarian Award for his father, Howard G. Buffett.

Based in El Salvador, Glasswing works throughout Latin America to transform public schools into bustling community centers. In these new spaces, the organization offers access to mental health support, vocational and entrepreneurial training, and networking opportunities. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has contributed $65 million to Glasswing since the two organizations began collaborating in 2018.

“Central American youth can be agents for change in their home countries if we are bold enough to believe and invest in them,” Buffett continued.

Valentina Ferrer, Celina de Sola, and J Balvin.

The glamorous evening at Cipriani 25 Broadway also honored model and entrepreneur Valentina Ferrer for her work with migrant youth in New York City. Additionally, Ferrer revealed a collaboration between Glasswing and Vibra En Alta, J Balvin’s foundation focused on education and mental health. Balvin and Ferrer have been dating since 2018.

Over 450 people were in attendance, and co-chairs included Carmen Busquets, co-founder of Net-a-Porter; Valentina Bueno Marin, executive director of the Con Cora Foundation; and Jana Pasquel de Shapiro, president of Munnu The Gem Palace. Guests were greeted by Glasswing co-founders Celina de Sola, Ken Baker, and Diego de Sola, and the festivities concluded with a performance by DJ Bash.

Jana Pasquel de Shapiro, Celina de Sola, Donna Karan, Carmen Busquets, and Sofia Espinosa Tcherassi.

Samuel is the Associate Editor at ELLE Magazine. Prior to this role, he was the Assistant to ELLE’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina Garcia. At ELLE, Samuel writes about music, fashion, arts, and culture, interviewing Normani, Lola Tung, Sara Bareilles, Kelli O’Hara, Nicholas Galitzine, Tate McRae, and more. Raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Samuel attended Northwestern University and currently resides in New York City.