Party Benefits

Who doesn't like to party and hear live music, enjoy a cocktail or gamble?

But wouldn't it be great if you could do all these for a worthy cause?

People may be attracted to benefit events for the celebrities, the networking opportunities or even the food, but the good that comes out of them is immeasurable, regardless of motivation.

And no matter what your taste in parties -- cozy concerts, glamorous sporting events or lavish dinners -- there's a benefit for you. Read on for a few standout ones coming up in New York City.

Let the Music Play

Fans of rock band Maroon 5 should check them out playing a rare live acoustic set at Sotheby's in New York City on March 30.

The event will raise money for Musicians On Call, an organization founded in 1999 that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in health care facilities.

Musicians On Call has several programs, most notably bedside performances in which the artists perform for sick patients in hospitals (such as New York's Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai and the Lutheran Medical Center).

The organization also provides patients with recordings through its "CD Pharmacy." And "Project Playback" gives patients the opportunity to record their own music.

Individual tickets (available online) are $150 for standing room, $250 for seating, $500 for stageside reserved seating and $1,500 for reserved seating and a "meet and greet" with the artists.

Sponsors include Grey Goose, People magazine and local radio station 106.7 FM.

And why host the event at Sotheby's? "They have been incredibly generous to us and it made sense because part of the event is a live auction," says Leslie Faerstein, executive director of Musicians On Call. Faerstein has been with the organizations since July 2000, after seeking a career change from her mental-health field specialty.

Any music fan in attendance will be getting much more than just the concert. The accompanying auction items include autographed guitars by Bon Jovi and Paul Simon, and two tickets to meet and see Barry Manilow at a concert in Las Vegas.

In an online auction, people can even bid for a "Weekend in New York," which includes a night at a hotel, dinner, a cruise around New York, two front-row tickets to the show and a chance to meet the members of Maroon 5.

Although it sounds like quite an undertaking, "We planned the event in only two months -- that's what happens every year. We wait to know when the musicians have an opening in their schedule," says Faerstein.

Virtuous Vice

Do your tastes run more toward Vegas-style entertainment? Then check out the Box NYC: Round 3. This flashy, three-year-old event will be held on April 26 at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom, which will be transformed into a dazzling replica of Sin City.

Guests will have the opportunity to watch boxing, as well as drink and gamble the night away.

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