PRESS RELEASES
Leathwaite supports Safe Horizon at its 23rd Annual Champion Awards
LONDON, U.K., June 1, 2018 – On Tuesday May 15th 2018, Leathwaite attended Safe Horizon’s 23rd Annual Champion Awards, honoring 40 years of helping New Yorkers during their times of greatest need. Attended by over 700 guests, the event raised more than $1.5 million to help support vital, life-saving programs for victims of violence and abuse.
Held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, the event was emceed by Sunny Hostin, Co-Host of The View and Senior Legal Correspondent for ABC News. This year’s event honored social justice advocate Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement and TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year” with the Voice of Empowerment Award, while Azriel Crews presented her father, Terry Crews, with the Voice of Courage Award for his active role in speaking out against sexual harassment. Other honorees included Paul Parker, Co-Chairman of Mergers and Acquisitions at Goldman Sachs, who received the Community Leadership Award, and John Romeo, partner at Oliver Wyman, who was presented with the Distinguished Service Award.
Despite the gloomy weather outside, the atmosphere in the room was charged as attendees listened to a rich variety of empowering speeches from some of today’s most influential advocates for victims of abuse and sexual violence. Former clients in Safe Horizon’s Speaker’s Bureau also lent their stories and voices to the night, showing supporters what it means to take victims of violence from crisis to confidence.
“It was the unique mix of leaders from the business world, the entertainment industry and the community itself that really stuck with me. The message stressed the importance of coming together as one to change the landscape for survivors of violence” said Leathwaite Director, Tom Pemberton.
“The saying ‘It takes a village’ has never been truer as honorees spoke about the importance of different people from across the community interacting and uniting in order to achieve meaningful change for generations to come.”
In 1978, Safe Horizon began as a pilot program in New York City’s court system to assist witnesses who had been intimidated, or who felt too threatened to testify. Today, they are the nation’s largest victim services organization in the United States providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime in 57 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
Safe Horizon provides social services to over 250,000 victims of violent crime and abuse and their families per year. It has over 600 staff and has programs for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as homeless youth and the families of homicide victims.”
The Champion Awards is an opportunity to highlight Safe Horizon’s achievements, raise critically needed funds, and honor individuals who are making a difference for so many of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Leathwaite looks forward to continuing to support Safe Horizon and its initiatives in 2018 and beyond.
