The Ackerman Institute for the Family celebrated its 9th annual gala fundraiser, Moving Families Forward on October 26, 2015, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. Gala Co-Chairs, Martha Fling and Deborah Werner, welcomed more than 300 guests for an evening that raised $600,000, surpassing last year’s total significantly. The funds raised will benefit the treatment of families and children and further Ackerman’s training and research in family therapy.
The presence and generosity of our guests paid tribute to this year’s honorees: Alice Netter, who received Ackerman’s Distinguished Service Award; William H. Donaldson, accepted Ackerman’s Partner Award; Jacqueline Woodson, proclaimed author of books for children and young adults was awarded the Ackerman’s Moving Families Forward award; actor and humanitarian Jimmy Smits received the Ackerman’s Leadership Award. We are proud of each of our honorees for their own special way of supporting our efforts, and to all for helping us illustrate the breadth of Ackerman’s work.
WPIX News Anchor, Tamsen Fadal, hosted the evening for the second consecutive year, and also ran a segment on Moving Families Forward on the evening news. Click here to watch the report, thank you Tamsen!
President & CEO, Lois Braverman, delighted our guests with a short lesson derived from her extensive knowledge and experience working with families. “In our work here at Ackerman, we have learned that people change when they feel understood by the people closest to them. Always hold your loved ones best intentions at heart,” she stated, earning her a big round of applause.
We are grateful for all our colleagues, friends and family whose generosity will help sustain the work of the Ackerman Institute for the Family for the coming year. We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2016!
Click here to see all the Gala photos!