Center for Family Justice Gratitude Gala to Honor Seven Male Community Leaders

Bridgeport, Ct—The Center for Family Justice will present Celebrating Hope, its second annual Gratitude Gala on Saturday, April 8 at The Patterson Club in Fairfield. The gala will honor seven men– six area police chiefs and a CFJ Board of Directors member –who have shown outstanding personal commitment to breaking the cycles of domestic and sexual violence.

Celebrating Hope’s 2017 honorees include Attorney Matthew Reale of Trumbull; Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez; Easton Police Chief Timothy Shaw; Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara; Monroe Police Chief John Salvatore; Trumbull Police Chief Michael Lombardo and Stratford Police Chief Joseph McNeil.

“We believe passionately that men are vital partners in our efforts to transform victims into survivors,” said Debra A. Greenwood, CFJ’s President and CEO. “The seven men we will honor at this special gala have each gone above and beyond in their effort to support and protect survivors and help us bring our services to thousands of clients. Through their efforts, they have helped us save lives.”

Presented by Mrs. Elizabeth Pfriem, the gala is a major fundraising event which helps CFJ underwrite the costs of providing free shelter, counseling, advocacy and support for victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse in the six local communities it serves.

Celebrating Hope has been planned by a committee chaired by Rosinne Chlala, Jill Fitzburgh and Karen Izzo. The three women are Fairfield residents and members of CFJ’s board of directors.

Tickets for Celebrating Hope are currently on sale at The Center for Family Justice. For information and to purchase tickets please contact Development Director Marissa Donnelly at MDonnelly@CenterforFamilyJustice.org or call 203-334-6154 ext. 121.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY JUSTICE

The Center for Family Justice Inc. (formerly The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County Inc.), brings all domestic, sexual and child abuse services – crisis intervention, police, prosecutors, civil/legal providers, counseling – under one roof, in our headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Together, we work to break the cycle of violence by helping those in crisis restore their lives. Although our name has changed, we continue with the work we have provided for 12 decades, providing free, confidential, bilingual crisis services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. It is the comprehensive services our partners are providing that are streamlining the road to healing and self-sufficiency.

Within the past year, The Center answered more than 950 calls on a 24-hour crisis hotline; assisted with the civil and criminal court processes for more than 2,500 survivors of domestic violence; responded to more than 500 survivors of sexual assault and their families; provided a safe home for more than 100 women and children fleeing domestic abuse; coordinated the investigations of more than 170 cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse, developing service plans for the young survivors and their families; and provided psycho-educational support to more than 1,200 survivors of domestic violence, planning for their safety and promoting self-sufficiency.

As part of our mission, The Center educates approximately 4,000 members of the community about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse to prevent future violence and spread the word that about the services we offer at The Center for Family Justice. Annually, we teach more than 2,000 children and teens about building healthy relationships, bullying prevention and dating violence.

For more information, visit www.CenterForFamilyJustice.org.