The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
(NYSPCC),
the world's first child protection
agency, held its Inaugural Spring
Luncheon on April 12, 2012 at
The
Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. The afternoon featured a keynote
address by The New York Times
best-selling author, Sapphire,
of the famed novel, Push,
the inspiration for the Academy Award
winning movie Precious.
She also read a heartbreaking segment
form he latest novel. "The Kid", which
picks up after the death of her
Push
heroine Precious Jones.
Dr.
Mary Pulido,
Executive Director of the NYSPCC,
delivered remarks about the mission of
the NYSPCC, and introduced Sapphire.
Sapphire�s novel depicted a horrific
case of child abuse in
Harlem and how one person
can make a dramatic difference in saving
the life of a child. Sapphire has
received the Book-of-the-Month Club
Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction,
the Black Caucus of the American Library
Association's First Novelist Award, and
in
Great Britain,
the Mind Book of the Year Award for
Push. Throughout her career,
Sapphire has authored three novels and
two books of poetry.
In addition to her remarks, she read a
heartbreaking segment from her latest
novel, �The Kid�, which picks up after
the death of her Push
heroine Precious Jones.
The
luncheon was a huge success raising
$135,735 to benefit the NYSPCC's Trauma
Recovery Program, which provides mental
health treatment for children who have
experienced traumatic events, such as
physical and sexual abuse, neglect and
family violence.
Elizabeth Mayhew
chaired the event with able assistance
form Vice-Chairs Jodie K. Fink,
Lincoln & Molly Frank, Penny Gorman,
Penny Grant, MD, Tania Higgins, David &
Mary Sherrill, Whitney Topping and
Lieta Urry.
Dr. Penny Grant
also had several special guests at her
table including NAACP Award winning
playwright and director Kenyetta
Lethridge whose searing social drama
which exposes the rape, molestation and
sex slave trafficking of young girls,
Innocent Flesh, is currently playing
to critical acclaim Off-Broadway and her
co-producer Diana Zollicoffer.
Additional guests included: Inside
Edition Host Deborah Norville,
Betsy Bartlett, Jayni Chase,
Diana DiMenna,
Stephen P. Forrester,
Kathleen Giordano, Rose Atkins,
NY-1�s Shelley Goldberg,
Joan Granlund,
Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dawne Marie Grannum,
Shannon Hales, Robin Meltzer,
fashion designer Victor de
Souza, NYSPCC Board President
David Stack & his wife Sarah
and Board Vice-President Karl
G. Wellner.
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