2012
04/30/2012 - THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION’S HOT PINK PARTYNEW
04/26/2012 - Grand St. Settlement's Taste of the Lower East Side
04/02/2012 - 2012 Skating with the Stars Gala
04/02/2012 - Strokes of Genius to benefit Autism Spectrum Disorders
03/29/2012 - The American Classical Orchestra 2012 Spring Gala Concert & Benefit
03/24/2012 - United States launch of the Seol Won Foundation
03/21/2012 - Kick-off event for The Perlman Music Program’s May 3rd Spring Benefit
03/16/2012 - Asia WeekNY kick-off reception at the Morgan Museum & Library
03/10/2012 - Toby and Itzhak Perlman and The Perlman Music Program hosted by Jim and Kristy Clark in Palm Beach
03/08/2012 - National Committee on American Foreign Policy Hosts the 2012 Gala Awards Dinner
03/06/2012 - 2nd Annual Fountain House Associates Spring Breakfast
03/05/2012 - School of American Ballet's Winter Ball 2012
03/03/2012 - AMIT NewGen Wine Tasting
03/01/2012 - American Cancer Society Honors Grace Hightower De Niro, Diane Reidy-Lagunes MD, Emily Sonnenblick MD
03/01/2012 - New York School of Interior Design Kick-off Reception
02/25/2012 - GiGi’s PLAYHOUSE NYC, Down Syndrome Awareness Centers, opened its doors for the first time
02/25/2012 - CARON LIGHTS UP MAR-A-LAGO WITH “AFTER DARK” GALA
02/19/2012 - Blitz Build 2012
02/07/2012 - 2012 Annual High School Counselor’s Breakfast
02/06/2012 - The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s ® (BCRF) annual Hot Pink Luncheon and Symposium
02/04/2012 - The 2012 Hope Gala
02/03/2012 - North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee Presents Checks to Local Food Banks
02/03/2012 - American Cancer Society’s 54th Annual Black and White Gala
02/02/2012 - Cut 25 Flagship opening - an event to benefit Project Paz
01/29/2012 - KiDS of NYU Langone Foundation hosted its 6th annual KiDS Play to Win!
01/28/2012 - Girls Bite Out for the North Texas Food Bank
01/26/2012 - French Heritage Society’s New York ChapterKicked Off its 2012 Cultural Season
01/26/2012 - Annual Event to benefit The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School
01/26/2012 - 2012 Plates for Pediatrics Benefit
01/24/2012 - New York Philharmonic Chinese New Year Gala
01/20/2012 - 2012 Wishmaker's Ball
01/20/2012 - Silence! Silent Art Forms
01/19/2012 - UJA-Federation of New York Generosity Signature Event
01/19/2012 - JDRF Central Jersey Chapter Events
01/17/2012 - TIFFANY & CO. HOSTS CARON SUPPORTERS TO SPECIAL PREVIEW OF 2012 TIFFANY LEATHER COLLECTION
01/16/2012 - 2nd Annual San Diego Breast Cancer Fundraiser
01/13/2012 - "Cycle Without Limits" Specialized Bike Program
01/12/2012 - Salvatore Ferragamo Hosts and Evening of Shopping to Benefit the Paradise Fund in Support of St. Jud
01/12/2012 - JDRF Central Jersey Chapter Walk to Cure Diabetes Awards Party
01/09/2012 - Museum of American Finance 2012 Gala
2011
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2009 Gala for the Health and Dignity of Women
10/08/2009 - By Hall in New York City

2009 Gala for the Health and Dignity of Women

A Record Breaking Evening for Americans for UNFPA: Over one million raised at Gala for the Health and Dignity of Women Everywhere

Last night 450 business and community leaders, dignitaries and philanthropists gathered at Gotham Hall in New York City to celebrate the 2009 Americans for UNFPA Honorees for the Health and Dignity of Women.

Five outstanding women were honored for their exemplary leadership. From Bangladesh, Nicaragua, and the United States, the honorees have made significant contributions to improve the lives of women in their communities.

The gala raised over a million, a record for Americans for UNFPA since the inaugural event in 2006. That, coupled with restored U.S. government funding for UNFPA, offers great hope to Anika Rahman, President, Americans for UNFPA.

“Never before in history has there existed such a concerted and organized global movement to eradicate gender inequity,” said Anika Rahman in her opening remarks.

“Here we are in 2009—a year of deep recession—and my heart fills with pride once more because the United States has restored its commitment to UNFPA,” she continued. “Thank you for joining us and our nation's leaders as we signal to the world our renewed intention to participate in a global partnership on behalf of all women.”

Americans for UNFPA, builds moral, political and financial support within the U.S. for the work of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA provides women’s health care and promotes the rights of women in 150 countries around the world. It is the largest international source of such assistance.

The 2009 Gala was co-chaired by Wendy Cai-Lee, Managing Director, Deloitte, LLP; Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, GE and Katherine Farley. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA was Honorary Chair of the event. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also took the stage to congratulate Americans for UNFPA and the 2009 Honorees.




The 2009 American Honorees are:
 Laura Klauberg, Vice President, Global Media, Unilever
 Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey
 Dr. Mary Lake Polan, Founder, Eritrean Women’s Project

The 2009 International Awards are named for Vicki Sant. Mrs. Sant is deeply committed to the promotion of women’s health and well-being worldwide. She strives to assure universal access to reproductive health care and services for women so they can lead healthier, more productive and rewarding lives.

The 2009 recipients of the Victoria Sant Americans for UNFPA Awards for the Health and Dignity of Women are:
 Francisca del Carmen Espinoza Ortiz, Director, Red Nacional de Casa Maternas, Nicaragua
 Monira Rahman, Director, Acid Survivors Foundation, Bangladesh

Ms. Espinoza and Ms. Rahman each received a $5,000 USD grant to support their in-country programs. The recipients of the Victoria Sant Awards were selected in May 2009 by an independent jury. Nominations were submitted from many of the 150 countries with UNFPA field programs. The 2009 jury included Kavita Bali, Corporate Social Responsibility, Pfizer; Kelly Flynn, Senior Executive Producer, CNN; Michelle Peluso, President & CEO, Travelocity (former); Dhanusha Sivajee, Director, Affiliate Advanced Product & Online Marketing, HBO; and Maysoon Zayid, Actor and Activist.

With UNFPA funds, the international honorees combat some of the most challenging problems facing women around the world:

Francisca del Carmen Espinoza Ortiz leads the Board of Directors for the Red Nacional de Casas Maternas — Maternity Homes National Network. She helps raise maternal survival rates and the value of women’s lives throughout Nicaragua. Under Francisca’s leadership, Casas Maternas provides comprehensive medical care and temporary shelter to more than 11,000 women annually. She relies on UNFPA to equip new homes and strengthen those in existence. Today, the Casas Maternas includes 60 homes.

Monira Rahman is a human rights defender, who works to create a society where women live a life free from the fear of violence. For seventeen years, her efforts have centered on ending violence, abuse and discrimination against women in Bangladesh. As Executive Director of the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) Monira has raised awareness and brought about institutional change, including new laws to discourage attackers and prevent future violence. ASF runs a 20-bed hospital and treats 600-700 acid attack survivors annually—many were attacked years ago and never received care. Through ASF, survivors also access mental health services and employment opportunities.



With corporate and government support, the American Honorees influence change through their daily work:

Laura Klauberg goes beyond personal and geographic boundaries to leverage corporate and community support for a woman’s right to a healthy life. As Vice President, Global Media at Unilever she strives to meet people’s everyday needs for nutrition and hygiene all over the world and to add vitality to life. Laura enhances this mission with her professional and personal commitment to address the social and economic inequities that prevent health and vitality among women.

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is one of the strongest and most outspoken legislators working to secure this country’s moral, financial and political support for UNFPA. She is also a leader in the fight against domestic violence, having secured record increases in federal funding for battered women's shelters, and is a longtime champion of human rights and of enhancing the role of women in development.

Dr. Mary Lake Polan has drastically improved maternal health services in Eritrea, a small country on the eastern coast of Africa. As Founder of the Eritrean Women's Project, Dr. Polan's success has increased local maternal health capacity in Eritrea through support and training of local medical professionals in medical and educational institutions. Current plans include construction of a maternity waiting home for women anticipating surgical repair and those whose pregnancies require ready access to emergency care.

To learn more about the 2009 Americans for UNFPA Honorees and Gala please visit www.americansforunfpa.org. To schedule an interview or for high resolution photos please contact amartyn@americansforunfpa.org.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, provides women's health care and promotes the rights of women around the world. Americans for UNFPA is dedicated to building American support for the work of UNFPA and to increasing the United States' moral, political and financial contribution to the organization.

Photos: Melanie Einzig


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