The Met Gala — one of fashion’s biggest nights — was held Monday night in New York City. But, on the night before the biggest night in fashion, the first-ever Debt Gala was held in Brooklyn and those attending the fundraiser for RIP Medical Debt were asked not to dress in the most ostentatious items in their closet like those attending the Met Gala, but instead to wear items inspired “sustainably sourced fashion” (ie. trash, thrifted, or upcycled items) to meet the theme of “Garbage x Glamour.” And while heavy rains unfortunately flooded the venue and prematurely ended the event, organizers were still able to raise $15,000 for the organization.
Here are what some of the attendees to the Debt Gala looked like
More photos from the event are available here and here.
AccountsRecovery.net has written a lot about RIP Medical Debt through the years. The charity organization has partnered with governments, TV stations, churches, healthcare providers, and unions, among other organizations to purchase and forgive medical debts for individuals. RIP Medical Debt has purchased $9 billion of medical debt to date and has helped 5.5 million families with their medical debt burdens.
Organizers had hoped to raise $20,000 for the charity, but were forced to end the event early because of the flooding. Those interested in making a donation can do so by clicking here.
That so many people are struggling with medical debt while others were paying upwards of $50,000 per ticket to attend The Met Gala shines a light on the challenges facing the country, organizers said. “… medical debt is the number one cause of debt among Americans. And we thought if the money from this event is going to go anywhere, it should go to people most in need.”
