Gena Lee Nolin, the statuesque star of Baywatch and Sheena–Queen of the Jungle, couldn't maintain her famous composure any longer. About mid-way through the 17th Annual Genesis Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the actress announced that she had broken down backstage and cried.

Her emotional reaction had nothing to do with co-hosting the event, the first time Nolin had ever emceed a major awards ceremony. No, her reaction had more to do with the subject matter at hand: the animals and the many people who had devoted their lives to saving and protecting them.

During the three-hour ceremony on March 15 in Beverly Hills, 23 Genesis Awards were bestowed to producers, scriptwriters, journalists, a musician, a cartoonist, even the creative team from an ad agency—a collection of media members "whose artistry and journalistic integrity," in the words of The HSUS Hollywood Office, "have increased public awareness of animal issues."

Representatives from dozens of animal organizations watched as some of Hollywood's most compassionate stars handed out the awards. As actor James Cromwell noted at the end of the evening, right before handing out the final Genesis Award to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron for outstanding feature film, "Because of you, the planet is becoming a better place to live."

Given the tone and content of the evening, who wouldn't get emotional?

Certainly, there were plenty of moments during The 17th Annual Genesis Awards, the first one under the banner of The Humane Society of the United States, to raise goose bumps. Like when guest of honor Sangduen "Lek" Chailert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand where 30 formerly abused work elephants have discovered an unexpected haven, walked on stage to a rousing standing ovation. Jennifer Hile, producer and writer for Vanishing Giants, the Genesis Award-winning documentary about Thailand's long-suffering work elephants, summarized her experience in the country and with Lek this way: "Knowledge can bring compassion can bring change."

Equally stirring was the introduction of guest Dr. Peter Sharpe, a wildlife biologist for The Institute of Wildlife Studies, who has made it his mission to save the bald eagle on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. A video presentation showed Sharpe dangling precariously from a tether tied to a hovering helicopter, just so he could rescue bald eagle eggs, which must be incubated artificially because they have become dangerously fragile, likely due to DDT pollution.

The truth is, virtually every award passed out during the ceremony packed an emotional wallop. Some awards carried a hopeful message; others demonstrated how much further the animal-protection movement must go to accomplish its goals.

On the hopeful end of the spectrum was scriptwriter and supervising producer Michael Green, whose WB show, Everwood, won the Genesis Award for outstanding family series. On accepting his award, Green acknowledged that the winning episode, about a father and son who bond while trying to save a wayward deer, exuded a "primacy of kindness, a reverence for all life." He credited that humane attitude to executive producers Greg Berlanti and Mickey Liddell.

Likewise, the investigators who star in Animal Planet's Animal Cops, which earned a Genesis Award for outstanding reality programming, acknowledged that their show has made a difference for dogs and cats in the Detroit area, where the program is filmed. Michigan Humane Society investigators Deborah MacDonald and Shawn Hairston said Detroit residents have become "more aware" of animal cruelty since the program began and have become aware that there are consequences to such actions; this new awareness has made their jobs easier, they admit, although they're not exactly ready to retire their badges.

As Hairston said from the stage when accepting the award: "We are warriors in this war against animal cruelty."

And that was the other underlining theme of The Genesis Awards: Don't get too satisfied. There is still more to do. Such was the attitude of writer Michael Satchell, whose article in U.S. News & World Report on the woeful conditions of roadside zoos won him a Genesis Award. He spoke of his role as a journalist to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," a role that clearly remains vital to him.

Journalists were not the only ones saying that the work is far from over. The artists, whether in person or vicariously, were also shouting out warnings—sometimes literally. John Feldmann, lead singer for the punk band Goldfinger, performed a raucous solo acoustic version of his hit, "Free Me," a passionate and forceful plea against the intensive confinement of animals. Sample lyric: "I just want enough space/to turn around/and face the truth/so free me."

Musician Chynna Phillips-Baldwin also made a statement through art. It just happened to be someone else's art. She wore a Danny Seo-designed rhinestone necklace with the letters "FF" dangling from it. When presenting a Genesis Award to K-CAL 9 News, a Los Angeles station, Phillips-Baldwin said, "I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of people are wearing these 'FF' necklaces."

Pause for effect.

"The letters stand for 'fur free'," she added, alluding to the fashion industry that still tries to sell clothing made from, or trimmed with, animal pelts.

By the time the final award had been presented, The 17th Annual Genesis Awards had provided more emotional ups and downs than a Steven Spielberg movie. A contingent of beautiful celebrities had crossed the stage to present awards—among them were co-host Eric Roberts, William Baldwin, Linda Blair, Matt Gallant, Bill Maher, Michelle Phillips, Casper Van Dien, Steve Valentine, Karle Warren, Victor Webster, Amy Smart, Melissa Rivers, Shannon Elizabeth, Doris Roberts, Wendie Malick, Charlotte Ross, Michael Feinstein, Tippi Hedren, Catherine Oxenberg, Aisha Tyler, Kaley Cuoco and Amy Davidson—but at the same time, they often talked about difficult problems, with solutions still many years away.

In other words, it was a typical Genesis Awards ceremony: It combined glamour and grit, beauty and cruelty, even doses of humor like when Kermit the Frog swapped barbs with Melissa Rivers (sample joke: "I'm naked," Kermit told Rivers backstage, "and you're close.") The awards also likely had a profound impact on those who attended. It certainly touched Gretchen Wyler, the founder of the Genesis Awards and the Vice President of The HSUS Hollywood Office. She deemed the event the "best ever."

HSUS members and readers can determine for themselves. Animal Planet, the official broadcaster of The Genesis Awards, will air a one-hour edited version of the event at 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. EST on May 1 and a two-hour edited version at 3 p.m. EST on May 4. (West Coast times are 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on May 1 and noon on May 4.) The corporate underwriter for the event was Veterinary Pet Insurance.