9th Annual Benefit is an Inspiring and Successful Event! Senator Sam Brownback, Congressman James Moran, and Tahirih Client Speaker, Zheela Noori, Provide Touching Remarks

Posted December 12, 2006

Benefit 2006Altria Group, Inc. and Shell Oil Company each sponsor at the Champion level

The Tahirih Justice Center (Tahirih) held its Ninth Annual Fundraising Benefit on September 27, 2006, in honor of the courageous lives of women and girls seeking justice from gender-based violence. Nearly 400 distinguished guests and participants were welcomed with a joyful performance from the children’s choir of Blue Planet Theatre. This year, we were honored to have Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) give the evening’s keynote address and Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) present awards to outstanding Tahirih supporters.

Corporate Sponsors

CHAMPIONS

    Altria Group, Inc.
    Shell Oil Company

BENEFACTOR

    Chevron

PATRON

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

SPONSORS

    Arnold & Porter LLP
    CH2M Hill
    Cole, Raywid & Braverman LLP
    Eileen Fisher
    The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
    Thomas S. Murphy
    Leslie Nickel
    Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC

FRIENDS

    Lynda Clarizio
    Covington & Burling LLP
    Crowell & Moring
    Laurie Duperier
    Hogan & Hartson LLP
    Maggio Kattar
    Mike Mihalke & Julie Gould
    Pederson Immigration Law Group, PC
    Viacom, Inc.
    Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale And Dorr LLP

SUPPORTERS

    R.A. Abdoo And Company, LLC
    American University, Washington College of Law
    Calvert Asset Management
    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
    CBS Corporation
    DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary
    Goodwin Procter
    Tony & Kathy Holinger
    Illumine, LLC
    Marianne Keler
    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, PC
    Rescare, Inc.
    Steptoe & Johnson LLP
    Andrew J. Young Foundation

CONTRIBUTORS

    COMCAST, Washington DC
    Richard and Pamela Hanlon
    Steven and Sheila Miller Foundation
    Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
    Whitehead Foundation
    Time Warner, Inc.
    Benefit Committee
    Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Honorary Chair
    Maye Aghazadeh
    LuAnn Bennett
    Kathleen Behan
    Lynda Clarizio
    Laurie Duperier
    Karen Hofmeister
    Barbara Krumsiek
    Michael MacLeod
    Hamid Samandari
    James J. Sandman
    Victoria Sant

Senator Sam Brownback has worked with the Tahirih Justice Center in combating the exploitation of foreign women by international marriage brokers for several years. He co-sponsored the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) and has consistently demonstrated his commitment to helping combat human rights abuses. His efforts in Congress extend to fighting against human trafficking, global poverty, and violence against women.

Congressman Jim Moran, a strong supporter of Tahirih’s efforts to provide critical legal representation and social service referrals for immigrant women and girls in Virginia, presented four awards—hand painted artwork by children of Tahirih clients—to organizations and individuals who have shown an extraordinary commitment over the years to furthering Tahirih’s mission and to ending violence against women. The awards included the Law Firm of the Year Award to Crowell & Moring, Pushing the Envelope Award to Altria Group, Inc., Pro Bono Award to Buzz Hawley of Van Scoyoc Associates, and Volunteer Service Award to Ivi Kolasi.

The evening concluded with inspiring remarks from Tahirih’s client speaker, Zheela Noori. Zheela is an Afghani journalist who overcame persecution at home and is currently working as a radio journalist and TV producer in Washington, DC. With support from Tahirih and pro bono attorney Stacy Linden of Hogan & Hartson LLP, Zheela was granted asylum in December 2005.

We are grateful to all the guests and participants who joined us at the Benefit as well as all as those who were with us in spirit. A very special thanks goes out to the evening’s sponsors, silent auction contributors, and individual donors—through their kindness and generosity we were able to raise more money than ever before in support of vulnerable women and girls fleeing violence.

We look forward to seeing you next year for our 10-year anniversary celebration!

Tahirih is privileged and honored to have the support of the following organizations and individuals. Without them, our work would not be possible.