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Eli
Tahari,
Christine
Quinn
& Stephanie
March
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Marching to
Success:
Actress
Stephanie
March Hosts
Safe
Horizon’s 16th
Annual
Champion
Awards
Helps to
raise more
than $1
million in
much needed
funds for
the victim
services
organization
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On
Wednesday,
May 11,
2011, more
than
700
supporters
gathered at
Cipriani
Wall Street
for Safe
Horizon’s 16th
Annual
Champion
Awards
dinner
helping
raise more
than $1
million
in much
needed
funds. One
pinnacle
moment was a
bidding war
during our
live auction
over two
tickets to a
Victoria
Secret
fashion
show, and in
an
unexpected
turn of
events, an
extra set
were donated
allowing the
package to
sell twice!
One set of
tickets sold
for $62,000,
the highest
bid of the
evening. The
night had
many more
success
stories,
including
notable
donations
through our
Text to
Pledge
campaign and
silent
auction.
This year’s
theme was
Voices of
Courage and
Compassion,
a
celebration
to honor the
courageous
victims we
serve and
the many
Safe Horizon
supporters
who are
compassionate
enough to
show
extraordinary
generosity
and
commitment
to our work.
The evening
began with
Safe Horizon
CEO Ariel
Zwang
thanking
board
members and
patrons for
their
incredible
leadership
and
participation.
Ariel gave a
special
thanks to
our generous
underwriter
Phillips-Van
Heusen (PVH),
all of our
benefactors
and
longstanding
partners. In
addition,
Ariel
acknowledged
the many
government
partners in
attendance
for their
ongoing
vision and
advocacy in
support of
Safe
Horizon’s
efforts to
provide
greater
services to
individuals
and families
in need,
throughout
New York
City’s five
boroughs.
The evening
was a
tremendous
success,
with the
help of our
host,
Actress and
Board of
Directors
Member
Stephanie
March,
who formerly
starred in
NBC’s
Law & Order:
SVU,
and Dinner
Chairs,
Emanuel
(Manny)
Chirico,
Chairman
and CEO,
Phillips-Van
Heusen
Corporation,
Jane Gol,
President,
Continental
Ventures
Realty and
Bruce
Teitelbaum,
Partner,
Metcap
Securities
LLC.
Neil Rubler,
President
and CEO,
Vantage
Properties,
LLC,
presented
the first
Champion
Award of the
evening to
Suri Kasirer,
Founder
and
President,
Kasirer
Consulting,
LLC.
Suri is
active in
political,
cultural and
social
activities
in New York
and across
the country.
She has
brought all
this talent
and energy
to
representing
Safe Horizon
for more
than a
decade, and
has found
creative and
visionary
ways of
advocating
for our
programs,
bringing
awareness
and
critically
needed
services to
victims of
crime and
abuse.
Chairman and
CEO,
Phillips-Van
Heusen
Corporation
Emanuel
(Manny)
Chirico
presented
the second
Champion
Award of the
evening to
his
colleague
Pamela
Hootkin,
Senior
Vice
President,
Treasurer
and Investor
Relations.
Pam has been
instrumental
in building
a powerful
10 year
relationship
between Safe
Horizon and
PVH, which
extends from
the CEO
level to
associates
from many of
the
company’s
operating
units.
Pam’s impact
and
influence
extends to
her presence
on the Safe
Horizon
board of
directors
for the past
six years
and has
translated
an abiding
interest in
helping
those less
fortunate
into a broad
and deep
array of
support for
Safe
Horizon’s
work.
Honoree
Elie Tahari,
Chairman,
Elie Tahari,
Ltd.,
accepted the
third
Champion
Award of the
evening
presented by
Hon.
Christine C.
Quinn
Speaker,
New York
City Council.
Designer
Elie Tahari
has excelled
at creating
stylish,
desirable
clothes for
over
thirty-five
years, and
has built
one of the
most
successful
fashion
brands in
the world.
With his
unique
talent for
dressing
modern and
sophisticated
women, Elie
Tahari and
actress Emme
Rossum, star
of The
Day After
Tomorrow
and
Phantom of
the Opera,
collaborated
on the
design of
the “Emme”
handbag for
Tahari’s
spring
collection,
with part of
the proceeds
benefiting
Safe
Horizon.
When
accepting
his Champion
award, Elie
expressed
how learning
about Safe
Horizon’s
incredible
work in the
New York
City
community
was
instrumental
in Tahari’s
newfound
commitment
and
dedication
to the
organization.
A highlight
of the
evening was
a moving
testimonial
by NYPD
Detective
Lenny
Esposito
of the
Manhattan
Special
Victims Unit
Child Abuse
Squad. The
Manhattan
Child
Advocacy
Center
brings
together the
NYPD, Safe
Horizon
staff,
prosecutors,
Administration
for
Children’s
Services (ACS)
case workers
and Columbia
Medical
Center
staff, to
investigate
allegations
of physical
and sexual
abuse
involving
victims ages
12 or
younger.
Esposito
shared his
experiences
working with
these
children and
their
families to
overcome
trauma and
find
justice.
His story of
triumph
underscored
both the
resilience
of the human
spirit and
the need for
supportive
services for
those in
crisis.
Touching the
lives of
more than
250,000
victims of
violence
each year
requires
substantial
funding.
Although our
Champion
Awards
dinner has
passed, our
need for
funding has
not. Please
consider
making a
donation to
Safe
Horizon.
With your
continued
support, we
hope to help
even more
women, men
and children
heal and
rebuild
their lives.
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