17th Annual Gala-June 12, 2013

When:Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where:Espace, 635 West 42nd Street, New York, NY (between 11th & 12th Ave.)

Time: 6:30 pm Cocktails and Silent Auction
7:30 pm Dinner and Award Ceremony

Dress: Black tie optional

Honorary Dinner Chairs:Preston J. Douglas, Esq. and Sharon R. Douglas; Martin Friedman and Suzanne Waltman

The Distinguished Advocate Award is given to individuals who reflect and demonstrate a deep, unwavering commitment to our mission, and whose work spreads tolerance to help build a better world for next generations.Steadfast commitment to education, volunteerism, and stewardship are values deeply held by Peter and Elisa Rapaport.  Both have earned respect for their dedication to community service and support through the Rapaport Family Charitable Trust.Helping meet the needs of people in crisis drew Peter to the American Red Cross in 1997 and has compelled him to deepen his commitment ever since. After seven years on the board of the Brooklyn chapter, Peter became a Trustee of the Greater New York Red Cross in 2005, becoming Chair of the Board in 2011. Peter has been a private wealth manager at Maxim Group for 13 years. He holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Colorado and an MBA in Finance from Portland State University. Peter is a passionate believer in philanthropic responsibility, focusing on alleviating suffering while encouraging self-sufficiency and sustainability.Elisa is Chair of the Philosophy Department at Molloy College, having earned her PhD at the University at Buffalo as the George F. Hourani Fellow in Ethics. One of the highlights of her teaching career has been leading a group of ethics students on a service-learning trip to New Orleans. Elisa’s dissertation was recently published as Emotion by Proxy: Ethics, Choice, and Advocacy in Medical Decision-Making. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Siena Women’s Center, the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue, and the Center for Social and Ethical Concerns. Inspired by Peter’s work, she also volunteers with the Red Cross, serving on the board of the Long Island chapter, launching the Red Cross Club at Molloy, and co-chairing the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders in the New York metro region.Peter and Elisa are honored to be able to support numerous human-service organizations, including Himalayan Health Care; the National Park Foundation; the American Folk Art Museum; and The Anne Frank Center. The most important legacy they hope to pass on to their two young children would be that of compassion matched by a compulsion to help, wherever they see a need in the world.

Steve Berry is an international best selling author whose books have been translated into 40 languages with more than 15 million printed copies in 51 countries.History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009, they have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures raising more than $400,000 via lectures, special events and their popular writers’ workshops.In 2012, Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named him the first spokesman for National Preservation Week, a role he continues in 2013. He has received the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award and the International Thriller Writers Silver Bullet Award.

Steve was born and raised in Georgia and graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a member of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Advisory Board and a founding member of International Thriller Writers.

For more information, visit www.steveberry.org.