The 10X Impact Gala Was One for the Books

This month, the Grant Cardone Foundation hosted its first annual 10X Impact Gala. The purpose of this event was to raise money to fund numerous mentorship and financial education programs for at-risk adolescents. The cocktail attire soiree was held at the Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, Florida, and I had the honor of hosting the event. So even if you couldn’t make it, I’m going to tell you all about the 10X Impact Gala experience.

For the rest of this article, you are my official “plus one” for the Gala.

Let Me Paint You A Picture…

The 10X Impact Gala experience began with an artistic touch.

After being registered and having your photo taken, the mood was set by music courtesy of DJ Irie. Guests were able to watch artist Anthony Ricciardi finish a one-of-a-kind piece that was later auctioned off that evening. The painting depicted the quote, “You will be remembered for the people that you helped, not the money that you made,” with two flowers growing throughout the words.

I can’t think of a more appropriate sentiment given the mission of the Grant Cardone Foundation.

The 10X Impact Gala was One for the Books

Phrases like “making history” are thrown around a lot. But at the 10X Impact Gala, it was actually true. Grant Cardone himself was presented with his own entry into the Library of Congress for the accomplishments of the foundation.

Some call events unforgettable, this one was documented in the history books.

Alonzo Mourning of NBA fame, who was also in attendance, spoke with Grant on stage to show support for The Grant Cardone Foundation. The cause is especially important to Alonzo who grew up in the foster care system.

While the atmosphere of fun and entertainment was ever-present, we were presented with the statistics on children who were raised without father figures. The increased rates of poverty, incarceration and mental health struggles were sobering.

You could feel everyone in the room was galvanized to help.

Going Once, Going Twice

It was at this point along with our 10X Impact Gala experience that the Master of Ceremonies, Pete Vargas, told us that soon the auction would begin. He told the entire room upfront that the goal of the evening was to raise $2 million, and to do it in 20 minutes!

Along with the painting completed at the start of the Gala, a podcast with Grant, a day of shooting with his wife Elena Cardone–one of the top markswomen in the United States– and trips on their private aircraft were auctioned off at a quickfire pace. Before we knew it, all the items had gone for generous bids and the auction was closed…in LESS than 20 minutes.

Grant said at the close of the auction,