MIRA SORVINO TO RECEIVE 2016 SAVING INNOCENCE HERO AWARD
AT 5TH ANNUAL GALA ON OCTOBER 1, 2016
AT THE LOEWS HOLLYWOOD HOTEL
AWARD WINNING ACTRESS MARISOL NICHOLS ANNOUNCED AS HOST
Christopher Backus, Taron Lexton, Meagan Tandy, Claire Schreiner, Cory Tran,
Serina Swan and Cantina Dance Troupe added to List of Celebrity Attendees
Gala Tickets Available at www.savinginnocence.org/Gala
Silent Auction Starts NOW at https://aesbid.co/SILA16
LOS ANGELES, CA (September 29, 2016) – Saving Innocence announced today award winning
actress and philanthropist Mira Sorvino will be awarded the 2016 Saving Innocence Hero
Award at the 5th Annual Saving Innocence Gala, an evening dedicated to ending child sex
trafficking in the United States at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on Saturday, October 1st.
Sorvino, Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning actress, has been the United
Nations Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking since 2009, traveling from Mexico
to Darfur to here in the United States, testifying to Congress on the atrocities of human
trafficking across our globe.
In addition, award winning actress Marisol Nichols has been tapped as host of the evening.
Best known for her roles in 24, Criminal Minds and NCIS, Nichols produces the Human Rights
Hero Awards and is a passionate ambassador working tirelessly to end human trafficking
worldwide. Christopher Backus, Taron Lexton, Meagan Tandy, Claire Schreiner, Cory Tran,
Serina Swan and Cantina Dance Troupe join the list of previously announced celebrity guest
attendees including Kellan Lutz, Brittany Gonzalez, Jess Collins and Jen Widerstrom.
“We are so honored to have both of these influential women be a part of this special evening.
Mira’s extraordinary and heroic efforts to end human trafficking have been an inspiration to
our team at Saving Innocence and we are thrilled to recognize her work with our Hero
Award,” said Saving Innocence Founder/Executive Director Kim Biddle, “The annual gala
plays a crucial role in allowing us to rescue more victims and we sincerely thank everyone
involved.”
The 5th Annual Saving Innocence Gala will be an evening dedicated to furthering Saving
Innocence’s mission of ending child sex trafficking in the United States. The event will include
a hosted cocktail reception, silent auction and seated dinner program. Attendees will consist
of a dynamic group of 400+ leaders in entertainment, business, community and culture who
have come together to support the expansion of the First Responder Program. The initiative
will enable victim advocate specialists to respond 24/7 alongside law enforcement to rescue
children, coordinate all basic needs, provide therapeutic services, support her as a victim
witness in various court systems, provide weekly mentorship and empower her dreams.
To purchase tickets to the 5th Annual Saving Innocence Gala or to learn more about how you
can join in the mission to end child sex trafficking, visit www.savinginnocence.org/Gala
To bid on silent auction items including art pieces, fashion items, sports tickets, vacations and
more, visit https://aesbid.co/SILA16. Online bidding closes Saturday, October 1st at 6pm.
For interview requests or press interested in attending, please contact Hannah Hajek at
[email protected] or 424-324-8006. Red carpet arrivals will take place from
6:00pm-7:00pm.
ABOUT SAVING INNOCENCE:
Founded in 2010, Saving Innocence has successfully rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of
American-born child victims of sex trafficking. Saving Innocence works to change societal
views of these children, and trains thousands of front-line workers like law enforcement and
social workers to properly identify these children and build cases. Saving Innocence works
individually with each youth, providing therapeutic services, coordinating all of her basic
needs, relocating her to safe homes, listening to her dreams and fears, giving her a voice in
the probation/child welfare systems, and supporting her as a victim witness as she testifies
against her traffickers. Survivors advocated for by Saving Innocence staff are provided with
necessary medical treatment immediately following their rescue, and are given a permanent
network of support to journey with that child for years to come. For more information on
Saving Innocence, please visit www.savinginnocence.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram.
