Jennifer Garner tries to be a model mother for her children

26 Oct 2016 |

Estranged couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are trying to pass their charitable instincts down to their three children.The 44-year-old actress attended the Save the Children Illumination Gala in New York on Tuesday night (25Oct16), and looked stunning in a blue and black velvet gown for the occasion. Jennifer has worked with the charity for years, and told Entertainment Tonight at the event that she has always tried to pass on her philanthropic instincts to her children; 10-year-old Violet, seven-year-old Seraphina and four-year-old Samuel.

"It's so important that you model for your kids how to be a citizen of the world, and I think that's the very best thing you can do," she explained. Jennifer split from husband Ben Affleck in June, 2015, but the pair has always done their utmost to put their children first in the wake of the breakdown of their marriage. Speaking about co-parenting with her estranged spouse, Jennifer explained that she and Ben both try and explain the importance of their various charitable pursuits to their offspring.

"That's really important at home, to make sure that our kids know that we both have causes that we care so much about? that we dedicate time, resources, and our energy toward making our own little slice of the world a little bit better," she explained. Jennifer was just one of the famous faces at the gala, where guests also included Dakota Fanning and David Bowie's widow Iman.

While the former Alias star doesn't court publicity on a daily basis, she admitted that the gala was one occasion where she was happy to talk to the press. "I've worked with Save (the Children) for the last eight years, and my whole heart is here," she gushed. "So obviously having all these people show up, it's the only time in my life where I see people with cameras and think, 'Thank you. I'm so glad you came. Thanks for coming.'"