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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Human traffickingambassador and actress Mira Sorvino
to speak atDallas Women’s Foundation Luncheon on Oct. 1
DALLAS, May 8, 2013 – U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, Academy Award winnerand Golden Globe honoreeMira Sorvinowill discuss the impact of modern-day slavery on women and girls and efforts to bring an end to trafficking at Dallas Women’s Foundation’s28th Annual Luncheon. The event, to be heldTuesday, Oct. 1, at the Hilton Anatole, benefits Dallas Women’s Foundation, the largest regional women’s fund in the world anda trusted leader in advancing positive social and economic change for women and girls.
This year’s luncheon is chaired by three distinguished community leaders who have contributed significantly to combatting human trafficking in the North Texas community and beyond: Lauren Embrey, president and CEO of the Embrey Family Foundation and executive producer of the documentary, “Playground”; Sarah Losinger, chair of the McCune Charitable Foundation board of directors; and civic leaderLynn McBee. All three women are actively involved in the campaign that has raised $11 million to build the Letot Girls’ Residential Treatment Center in Dallas, which will provide long-term treatment and safe shelter for girls who have been victims of sex trafficking.
“When this ‘dream team’ of leaders in the fight against human trafficking joined together to chair this year’s luncheon, the stars aligned. With their leadership andthe passion of Mira Sorvino, who is a true ambassador on-screen and off for the victims of modern-day slavery, this year’s luncheon will undoubtedly be one of our most compelling events to date,” said Roslyn Dawson Thompson, president and CEO of Dallas Women’s Foundation. “Dallas Women’s Foundation is honored to join these remarkable women inraising awareness and calling for change to an abhorrent problem, which is acutely present in our community. It’s almost beyond comprehension to realize that 25 percent of all people who are trafficked in the U.S. are trafficked through Texas, and that here in our region, as many as 400 teenaged girls are sexually exploited on any given night.”
Dallas Women’s Foundation is committed to addressing human trafficking by supporting advocacy, increasing community engagement and making targeted philanthropic investments to prevent and help the victims of
domestic minor sex trafficking. In 2012, the organization invested in advocacy efforts that resulted in important anti-trafficking legislation in Texas, including laws that facilitate the prosecution of those who sexually exploit and trafficminors and that make rehabilitation more accessible to young victims. Since 2009, the organization has grantedmore than $1.8 million to North Texas programs focused on the issue, including a lead gift of $1 million to the first-of-its-kind Letot Girls’ Residential Treatment Center. Dallas Women’s Foundation has also taken the lead in engaging the region’s civic and philanthropic communities on the issue, from hosting a screening of the trafficking documentary, “Playground,” to convening forums that bring together advocates and educate the public.
Sorvino, the luncheon’s keynote speaker, is best known for her performance in Woody Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite,” which earned her the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award and the Critics’ Choice Award, among other honors.
Sorvino has also brought human trafficking to the forefront of social dialogue by starring in the miniseries, “Human Trafficking,” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, and in her role in the critically acclaimed “Trade of Innocents.”
These roles, in particular, ignited her commitment to humanitarian causes, and specifically, to work to end human trafficking and violence against women. Since 2009, Sorvino has served as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Against Human Trafficking. She is also the official ambassador for Amnesty International’s “Stop Violence Against Women” program, and was honored with Amnesty International’s Artist of Conscience Award in 2006. A passionate advocate, she has lobbied Congress and met with governments and NGOs to recommend policy changes and stronger laws to prosecute crime groups and protect victims of trafficking and violence.
The Dallas Women’s Foundation Luncheon will be held from on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Anatole, located at 2201 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas.Tables starting at $1,750 are available at by calling (214) 525-5315.
About Dallas Women’s Foundation
Dallas Women’s Foundation – the largest regional women’s fund in the world – is a leader in advancing positive social and economic change for women and girls. The organization was founded on the belief that when you invest in a woman, there is a ripple effect that benefits her family, her community and her world. Dallas Women’s Foundation has researched, funded and demonstrated the ripple effect for 28 years in North Texas, granting more than $20 million to help create opportunities and solve issues for women and girls.With the support of its donors, the foundation unlocks resources to improve education and quality of life, give voice to issues affecting women and girls and cultivate women leaders for the future. For information, visit
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