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Tahirih’s Twelfth Annual Benefit is a Wonderful Success!

The Tahirih Justice Center held its Twelfth Annual Fundraising Benefit on September 30, 2009, at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC. The evening was a wonderful and moving celebration of twelve years of service dedicated to courageous women and girls seeking justice from gender-based violence.

We are happy to report that the annual benefit was a financial success, netting nearly $174,000! We are grateful to the many individuals and corporate partners who sacrificed to raise this support for Tahirih. Even though the total is slightly less than the amount we raised in 2008, we are extremely fortunate for the success of the evening in light of the economy and the bigger decreases in revenue faced by many nonprofit organizations. We are also happy to report that we did more with less this year and increased our profit margin from 80% to 82% as a result of greater efficiencies and some cost-cutting measures. As many of you have had to do, we are tightening our belt and making sure that every penny is spent wisely.

This year, we were honored to have Sam Waterston, of the NBC hit Law & Order, as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Pillar of Justice Award. For the fourth year, we were privileged to have Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan as the Honorary Chair of the Benefit Committee. We were also thrilled to be joined by two of Tahirih’s Congressional Representatives, Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who joined us to present awards and give remarks. We were also joined by Congresswoman Corrine Brown and former-Congressman Nick Lampson.

Tahirih presented three additional awards to two organizations and an individual 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 Howrey LLP, the Pushing the Envelope Award to the Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., and Volunteer Service Award to Sherry Sutherland.

Isha Kargbo, a former Tahirih client, spoke about her challenges and ultimate triumph over violence. Isha came to the United States a victim of a forced polygamous marriage in Sierra Leone. In the United States, Isha fell in love with a caring man, who she ultimately married. Six months into the marriage, however, things changed. He became possessive and incredibly violent. Isha eventually called the police, filed charges against her husband, and obtained a protective order. With the help of the Tahirih Justice Center, Isha filed a petition under the Violence Against Women Act, making her eligible to become a legal permanent resident. After two years of zealous advocacy by her pro bono attorney, Isha received her green card. Tahirih also worked with Isha to obtain custody of her children. Currently, Isha is a Licensed Practical Nurse and is pursuing a degree through the RUE education program at Excelsior College to become a Registered Nurse.

Benefit Committee
We are grateful to all the guests and participants who joined us at the Benefit, as well as those who were with us in spirit. A very special thanks goes out to the distinguished members of our Benefit Committee, led by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. Her Majesty is a dedicated human rights activist and has supported our work by speaking at a prior Tahirih Benefit and chairing the Benefit Committee over the past four years. The kind participation of all Committee members ensured the evening’s success.

Sponsors and Silent Auction Contributors
Tahirih is privileged and honored to have the support of committed sponsors and silent auction contributors—through their kindness and generosity we were able to raise significant support for vulnerable women and girls fleeing violence.

Tahirih’s Twelfth Annual Fundraising Benefit would also not have been possible without the tireless commitment of supporters who donated their services and volunteered their time to make the evening such a moving celebration. Thank you to all those who participated to make the event a wonderful success!