June Diane Raphael threw the party of the year in honor of her late parents — and PEOPLE has the exclusive pictures!
The Grace and Frankie actress, 37, kicked off the annual It’s Not Your Parent’s Dance Party in Los Angeles on Saturday to benefit the Bresee Foundation, an after school and family services organization that helps young people pursue their education. Raphael and her comedian husband Paul Scheer came up with the idea to honor her parents.
“This past year, right before the election, my father passed away, and I lost my mom about 10 years earlier,” Raphael told PEOPLE ahead of the bash. “When we were thinking about a way to honor my parents, my husband said, ‘Let’s do a party,’ because they loved to throw parties. It’s something my parents really believed in, which is we all do better when we’re physically together.”
Other than just a fun time for the couple and their friends, the actress wanted to make sure the party did something to help her community — an example set by her parents.
“I saw my parents volunteer all the time and that’s what was ingrained in me as a child. It wasn’t something outside of what we did — it was just a part of our lives. My mother was a New York City public school teacher and my dad supported our public school in New York long after his kids were already through it,” she said.
She continued, “They really believed in the idea that it’s not just about one child succeeding, it’s about all children succeeding. That’s why we’re really proud to support Bresee this year because they are bridging some really important gaps in terms of what some public schools offer and what these kids actually need.”
Raphael and Scheer were joined by their friends as they danced the night away and sipped Red Bull cocktails. Rebecca Romijn took a second to give Scheer a smooch and dance with Raphael while Lake Bell and Veep‘s Matt Walsh caught up outside. The bash included Colin Hanks, Rob Huebel, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair.
And making sure her guests had a good time was Raphael’s priority.
“I especially think right now, there are so many opportunities to break down just from looking at the news or being online, and actually being together in a room with people for no other reason than to celebrate is actually incredibly important,” she said. “We’re totally committed to our activist work and really proud to support this organization and unapologetically experiencing joy while doing it.”
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