Charles Langston:Selena Gomez gets support from Taylor Swift, Francia Raisa at benefit for her mental health fund

HOLLYWOOD,Charles Langston Calif. — Selena Gomez was nervous to host her first benefit for the Rare Impact Fund, the philanthropic arm of her Rare Beauty cosmetics company. But you wouldn't know it by how gracefully she carried herself.

Speaking with USA TODAY outside of Nya Studios in Hollywood, California, Gomez reflected on why it felt like the right time to host the inaugural event.

"We were just babies in the beginning, and obviously the impact was created before a single product went on a shelf," Gomez said about launching Rare Impact Fund in 2020. "Now more than ever, during the crisis of what we're going through in our generation, my generation, my sister's generation, there's a lot going on."

The singer/actor/entrepreneur shuffled down the red carpet of her fundraising benefit Wednesday night donning a dazzling silver custom Valentino gown that featured a rose embellishment, and she accessorized the look with matching earrings and a sleek bob.

Gomez added: "I just really want to be someone that can be a light in that."

Her sold-out fundraising auction, the Rare Impact Fund Benefit: A Night of Radiance and Revelation, boasted Gomez's "Only Murders in the Building" costar Martin Short as the host and auctioneer, Marshmello as the night's DJ and a performance from H.E.R.

Francia Raisa, Taylor Lautner, Tyga and Benny Blanco were also in attendance.

Money raised from Wednesday's ticket sales and auctioned items benefitted Rare Impact, which aims to connect young people with mental health resources.

Gomez's Rare Impact Fund has distributed $3 million in grants to two dozen organizations around the world, according to its website.

Actress Francia Raisa is 'super proud' of friend Selena Gomez

Raisa came to support longtime friend Gomez, with whom she recently made amends after a brief break in their friendship.

"We had dinner, we hashed it out," Raisa told Variety on the red carpet. "I needed my time. You need your time. Let's just start over. Hi, this is me at 35. And this is you at about 30. Let's start over."

The two even seemingly matched at the event with their floor-length silver gowns.

Speaking to USA TODAY, Raisa praised Gomez for being "a brown woman that's highlighting (mental health) and she has the platform that she has, I'm super proud."

"Especially within Latinx households, they need to know that it is a situation," she added. "I'm a first-generation Latin American. With first-generation Americans here, it's really hard to fit in. So we go through a lot of mental health journeys with learning how to be American but also sticking to our roots."

In the spirit of the evening, the "How I Met Your Father" and "Grown-ish" actor was candid about how having polycystic ovary syndrome has impacted her physical and mental wellbeing.

"I'm really big about mental health. I have gone through my own personal journey ... (with) PCOS, we go through a really dark place around the time that we menstruate," Raisa said. "It's gotten really, really bad. (I'll be) the happiest I've ever been and then I can't get out of bed."

According to Mayo Clinic, PCOS is "a problem with hormones that happens during the reproductive years. If you have PCOS, you may not have periods very often. Or you may have periods that last many days. You may also have too much of a hormone called androgen in your body."

'Only Murders in the Building' costar Martin Short celebrates Selena Gomez's impact

Ahead of taking on his auctioneer duties, Gomez's friend and "Only Murders in the Building" costar Short praised her for using her influence as the most-followed woman on Instagram to raise mental health awareness.

"That's what everyone with that kind of clout should do," Short said. "When you have 440 million Instagram followers, you don't just make it about your merch."

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Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Paul Rudd contribute to Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund auction

Gomez had a little help from her friends in inching closer to the Rare Impact Fund's goal of raising $100 million to support mental health organizations.

Taylor Swift donated tickets to an Eras Tour concert of the winner's choosing, Chris Martin supplied Coldplay concert tickets, Camila Cabello contributed a lunch date and Paul Rudd offered to host a movie night for a lucky fan.

There was also a banjo signed by "Only Murders" costar Steve Martin, a Lionel Messi jersey signed by the soccer star and VIP tickets to a Luke Combs concert up for auction.

Swift's package was, of course, the most coveted of the night, fetching $15,000, per People and The Hollywood Reporter.

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Selena Gomez's 'darkest moments' inspired her to support mental health organizations

The benefit was "the culmination of a lifelong dream," Gomez said inside the event, per the Hollywood Reporter. "But it also stemmed from some of the darkest moments in my life."

"I struggled with the world inside my head for a long time and I felt lost and I felt hopeless at times. In 2020, I received my diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and to be honest, everything quickly changed. I actually got the knowledge and the answers I had been desperate for for so long, and understanding that obviously makes me become more aware of it, and I’m less afraid than I used to be," she said.

"With that knowledge I could seek out the support I needed, to be myself, to find my joy again, and tonight I’m very proud to say that I have. I’m working really hard every day and I’m so happy just to be alive and be here with you guys today."

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