Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez and Universal Pictures Chair Donna Langley were recipients of the Lifetime Impact Awards at the 2014 Variety Power of Women awards held Friday at the Beverly Wilshire Four Season Hotel.

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The 6th annual A-list event staged in partnership with Lifetime Television honors various female entertainers for their commitment to charity while involving themselves in philanthropic fields that are close to their hearts.

Witherspoon, who admires Nobel Peace Prize winner Yousafzai Malala, celebrated the Pakistani activist's work while accepting the award for her own philanthropic efforts with the Malala Fund.

The Oscar winning Witherspoon proudly shared with the audience that Malala is her role model and that it was her 15-year old daughter Ava who first brought Yousafzai to her attention.

"This summer, my daughter and I got to meet Malala and got to have dinner with her at a friend's house," Witherspoon, 38, ecstatically shared how she marveled their meeting with the 17-year-old Nobel prize winner.

A most touching moment during the event was when Viola Davis dished out her personal reasons for focusing on childhood hunger.

"I was one of the 17 million kids in this country who didn't know where the next meal was coming from, and I did everything to get food," she said.

Davis recalls how she stole, rummaged through garbage bins, befriended children who were lucky to always have food on their table, and resorted to all sorts of things just to stave off  hunger.

The fact that Davis dealt with poverty during her youth is more than enough reason that she  supports Hunger Is, which aims to reduce childhood hunger.

"It has been the joy of my life to be able to start this campaign," she said.

Jane Fonda, a longtime activist, was lauded for her work with the 20-year old Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, which initially aimed to reduce teen pregnancy cases but later expanded to other areas.           

"I grew up believing that service is the rent you pay for life," Fonda said.

J-Lo was also lauded for her work with The Lopez Family Foundation that works for women's and children's access to medical care.

Universal Pictures Chair Donna Langley, perhaps the second most powerful woman in Hollywood, also received an award for her philanthropic efforts as Global Ambassador with Vital Voices.

"I want them to grow up in a world where female empowerment and female rights are a birthright," Langley said.

Eva Longoria, Lizzy Caplan, Stacey Kiebler, Chrissy Teigen, Louise Roe, Ana Ortiz and Bryce Dallas Howard were also present at the event.

TagsVariety Power of Women