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For Mariska Hargitay, playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU is more than just a job, it's a calling.

"Every day I get on my knees and thank God for this opportunity. It's not lost on me that God gave me this opportunity, this platform to speak about these issues. I really feel like it was a calling, it's not an accident I came on this show," Hargitay told E! News at The Joyful Heart Foundation gala. "I always wanted to be on service, but it's hard. You say, ‘What do I do? How do I be of service?' and this was an opportunity."

The Joyful Heart Foundation Gala 2013 was held on 42nd Street in New York City on Thursday evening, May 9th. The event was sponsored by a number of well-known companies including Pepsi Cola Company, Michael Stars, Verizon Communications, The Art of Grace, and Wolf Films among many others. The founder, Mariska Hargitay, was joined at the event by her husband, Peter Hermann, and a number of celebrities including Danny Pino, Mary J. Blige, Jemima Kirke, Will Chase, Julianne Hough, Christopher Meloni, Uma Thurman, Mary Louise Parker, Glenn Close, and Harry Connick Jr. just to name a few.

Images from the Joyful Heart Foundation's 2013 Joyful Revolution Gala

Hilary Swank at the Joyful Heart Foundation Gala

Your typical posh charity benefit in Manhattan usually includes a celebrity or two, maybe a performance by an artist who was popular in the '90s and a room full of insanely rich (and generous!) people. And while all of the above were at the Museum of Modern Art last night, the benefit for "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart organization had a whole lot more.

Mariska Hargitay hosted the 2011 Joyful Heart Foundation Gala last night at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the event featured a celebrity guest list as well as live performances by celebrity musicians.

Last night, the organization held a fundraiser attended by Mariska Hargitay, Rosie Perez, Stephanie March, B.D. Wong, Chris Meloni, Maria Bello, and more.

Joyful Heart Gala Photos