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| Amal Clooney | photo Huffington Post UK |
New Friends New Life, a nonprofit organization that restores and empowers formerly trafficked girls and sexually exploited women and children, announces that Amal Clooney will headline its 13th Annual WINGS Luncheon on Thursday, April 14, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole Dallas. She and her husband, famed actor and director, George Clooney, share a passion for philanthropic work with a focus on protecting human rights. This will be her first trip to Dallas. The Honorable Jeanne Johnson Phillips will serve as luncheon chair for the second year in a row. Honorary Co-Chairs the former First Lady Laura Bush and Ruth Altshuler, also in their second year with the WINGS Luncheon, are joined this year by Caren Prothro and Annette Simmons as well as Board Chair Nancy Ann Hunt. “As a human rights activist on a global scale, Amal Clooney is a perfect voice to advocate against a crime that is happening in our own backyard,” said Jeanne Johnson Phillips. “The subject of sex trafficking and the sex industry as a whole were rarely spoken of just a few years ago, but thanks to the incredible work of organizations like New Friends New Life and a corporate community that is willing to step forward with funding, we are making huge strides to end human trafficking in Dallas and throughout Texas and empower its survivors. Clooney’s knowledge, experience, and presentation will help us educate the community and send a strong message that Dallas is a no tolerance zone for human trafficking as we strive to protect our children, an estimated 400 teens on the streets each night – the most vulnerable targets of human traffickers.”
A Lebanese-British barrister, human rights activist, philanthropist, and author, Amal Clooney’s long and accomplished career in the fields of international law and human rights have won her international acclaim. Her recent work as of 2015 has been in the field of advocating for the protection of women against physical and sexual violence in combat zones. “New Friends New Life is elated to bring Clooney to Dallas for so many reasons,” said New Friends New Life Chief Executive Officer Katie Pedigo. “She shares the organization’s passion to help women and children escape physical and sexual abuse, and her perspective, insight and international acclaim, along with her wide appeal to the public, will help us create an even greater awareness of this worldwide epidemic. Without question, this will enable us to raise more dollars to combat human trafficking in the Dallas area and throughout our state and nation.” Serving more than 1,200 women and children annually, New Friends New Life provides holistic services for sexually exploited girls, women, and their children including access to education, job training, interim financial assistance, mental health and spiritual support. By partnering with law enforcement, corporate sponsors, community organizations and individual donors and volunteers, New Friends New Life helps to provide legal assistance, medical services, budget counseling, job-readiness training, and educational opportunities.
The nonprofit’s High Risk and Trafficked Teen Girls Program offers sexual abuse recovery groups for adolescents, teaching girls, ages 12 to 17, how to define, recognize, and ultimately recover from abuse. The program is an intervention and prevention effort to help girls avoid a lifetime of exploitation as human trafficking victims. Past WINGS luncheon speakers have included Kevin Costner, Sally Field, Barbara P. Bush, Nicholas Sparks, and Harriet Miers. Sponsorships are available, ranging from $2,000 to $100,000. Contact Kelly Cruse, wings@newfriendsnewlife.org, (214) 965-0935. To learn more about NFNL visit www.newfriendsnewlife.org.
