How does one go about helping underpriviledged New York City students find art? Ah yes! Throw an elegant gala, stock it full of B-list celebrities, and say its all for the kids. Perfect!

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York recently enjoyed such a gala, hosting the “Fiesta 2008″ sponsored by Casita Maria. Now, don’t get me wrong. Casita Maria has a long history of charitable works, being the first organization created with the sole purpose of helping NYC Latinos as far back as 1934.

But while back Casita Maria has been helping children for decades, Thalía has pretty much just been singing and dancing and playing characters named “Maria” for the past few decades. You know what I’m talking about…MariMar…Maria Mercedes…Maria la del Barrio…

I may be a bit of a novice when it comes to charity galas, but I’ve always functioned under the belief that the best way to help children was to become actively involved in their lives, not to don expensive couture. Oh, I have so much to learn!

Click for more pics of Thalía, and beauty queens Dayana Mendoza and Belem Hudson in their fancy evening wear.

Oh, these beauty queens! Such do-good-ers…well, at least when they’re not embroiled in some sort of salacious sex scandal or running damage control when nude photos leak out.

Luckily for leggy Venezuelan knock out, Dayana Mendoza (Miss Universe 2008), her energies were best spent this weekend doing some shopping for charity. Dayana was on hand to flex her shopping might for the Power of Shopping Day to Benefit YouthAIDS in McLean, Virginia, where 90 cents of every dollar spent went to directly benefit YouthAIDS programs.

Our lovely Latina -in one fierce pair of little gray shoes- spent the day cruising the mall’s jewelry stores, trying on fatty diamond rings. Is she trying to send a hint to her novio?

Click for more picks of Dayana in Virginia.