WASHINGTON, DC — The most moving moment of the night wasn’t scripted.
A heroic survivor of domestic violence from Peru — the Courageous Voice Honoree, Adela — won a game of chance and is now headed to Los Angeles with two VIP tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres show with her teenage son.
It wasn’t the first time she beat the odds.
The first time she beat the odds, she did so by escaping horrendous abuse, surviving the dangerous journey to the U.S., and winning asylum with Tahirih’s help.
The chances of winning asylum for women like Adela are 99% if represented by Tahirih, 46% if represented by others, and just 16% without legal representation, Tahirih Founder and Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro told the audience who gathered on Thursday night at the Four Season for Tahirih’s 19th Annual Gala, “Saving Lives, Celebrating Courage.”
Pop sensation Andy Grammer, award-winning reporter Scott Thuman, and over 350 guests packed into the ballroom at The Four Seasons Hotel in Washington DC for a single purpose: to save lives.
The 19th Annual Gala drew a large crowd committed to the fight to end gender-based violence. Together, they raised almost $500,000 that will directly help courageous immigrant women and girls in the Baltimore and Greater DC regions who refuse to be victims of violence.
“Our job at Tahirih is small in comparison to that of the women we serve who are transforming the world,” Miller-Muro said.
Adela is one of those women.
Addressing the audience, she encouraged women to recognize their power and their light, and to never give up.
“Thank you, God,” Adela said to gala guests, “for sending me your angels. Without Tahirih Justice Center, I would not have freedom.”
SEE BELOW FOR MORE EVENT COVERAGE
- WATCH: Adela’s Story
- Heather Taylor Honors “Tahirih Warriors”
- Morgan Weibel: “Above and Beyond in Baltimore”
- 2016 Gala Photo Album
Thank you to our 2016 Greater DC Gala sponsors for supporting brave women and girls!
