The 2010 Women of Concern Awards were held on June 21 at the New York Hilton, honoring Amanda Rose, social media pioneer and founder of Twestival, and Fern Mallis, President of Fern Mallis, LLC.
On June 21, before a packed hotel ballroom in New York, Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian agency, honored Fern Mallis—the fashion industry veteran who helped New York City join the upper echelons of fashion capitals with her creation of the city’s annual Fashion Week—and Amanda Rose, founder of the “Connect the Dots Foundation” and creator of Twestival, a global Twitter festival that rallies social media users around the world in support of numerous causes.
Fern Mallis received Concern’s 2010 Leadership Award. A founder of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), she has been involved in a wide variety of charitable causes, including major initiatives benefiting the homeless. She was instrumental in the creation and worldwide licensing of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer—a campaign that has sold over $100 million in merchandising to date and has generated more than $80 million in donations for hundreds of breast cancer organizations worldwide.
Amanda Rose received Concern’s 2010 Humanitarian Award. She is the global founder and architect of Twestival, a unique international all-volunteer effort that uses social media like Twitter to raise funds and awareness for worthy causes. Rose is known for pushing the traditional boundaries of business and philanthropy, and bringing them together through social media and technology. CNN described her as one of this year’s Most Intriguing People.
The Annual Women of Concern Luncheon celebrates lives of women and girls worldwide. Each year, Concern recognizes the achievements of women in business, media and the public sector for extraordinary efforts to alleviate human suffering and focus public attention on global humanitarian issues.
Elke Leidel, Concern’s Country Director in Haiti, flew in for the day to be the event’s guest speaker and share her firsthand experience managing Concern’s response to the massive disaster caused by the January 12th earthquake. “What keeps me going,” said Ms. Leidel, is the “people’s resilience and their sense of dignity.” With the disaster’s six-month anniversary coming up, Leidel said, “much has been accomplished, even as so much remains to be done.” Hurricane season is approaching and meteorologists are predicting devastating storms. “Women and children are our biggest concern,” she said.
NBC Today’s Natalie Morales graciously emceed the event for a second time. The luncheon was held at the New York Hilton.
Ms. Mallis and Ms. Rose were presented with contemporary handmade sculptures carved out of 4,500-year-old Irish bog oak. Proceeds from the luncheon will go toward urgently needed health, education and livelihoods programs in some of the poorest countries in the world.
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Fern Mallis, President of Mallis, LLC |
FERN MALLIS - LEADERSHIP AWARD
Our 2010 Leadership Award Recipient, Fern Mallis, is widely credited as the creator of Fashion Week in New York City and current President of Fern Mallis LLC; As SVP at IMG Fashion she frequently travelled to international fashion capitals to provide her expertise in creating and organizing fashion events and competitions, and mentored fashion students at universities on how to succeeded in fashion careers.
She is widely quoted in the fashion press and online media and frequently featured on televised fashion programs, including America’s Next Top Model and She’s Got the Look, and four seasons of Project Runway. Most recently, Ms. Mallis appeared as the weekly judge on Bravo’s reality show, The Fashion Show, with Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland.
Ms. Mallis has organized 10 annual Fashion Awards Galas for CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and was the creator of the highly successful campaign “Fashion Targets Breast Cancer” a campaign that generated more than $80 million in donations for hundreds of breast cancer organizations worldwide.
AMANDA ROSE - HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Our 2010 Humanitarian Award Recipient Amanda Rose, is best
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Amanda Rose, Founder of Twestival and Women of Concern 2010 Honoree |
known for her role as the global founder and architect of Twestival, a unique, International all volunteer global grassroots and social media fundraising initiative, that has raised over 1.2 million for 137 causes with CNET dubbing it “LiveAid 2.0”
The funds raised by Twestival Global in 2010 will help bring quality education to tens of thousands of the world’s poorest children through Concern’s programs. Amanda Rose is a born leader with an entrepreneurial and compassionate spirit.
Amanda leads with creative and humanitarian purpose, fixing her focus on pushing the traditional boundaries of business and philanthrophy, and bringing them together through social media and technology. She has been described by CNN as one of the Most Intriguing People.
Ms. Rose is also the founder of Connect the Dots Foundation, an organization that works with brands, startups and nonprofits to devise creative strategies integrating causes online and off.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR 2010 HONOREESSPECIAL GUEST, NATALIE MORALES
We were also delighted to welcome back to the Women of Concern luncheon a special guest and friend of Concern, Natalie Morales. Natalie is co-anchor and national correspondent for NBC’s Today.
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Natalie Morales, “Today” Co-Host and National Correspondent |
A contributor to several major breaking news stories, Ms. Morales is also a proud mother of two and an avid runner who has completed 3 NYC marathons. In 2007, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina in Media" award from
Catalina magazine and the
National Association of Latina Leaders.
People en Español named her one of its Fifty Most Beautiful People for 2007. She came in at #1.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR EMCEE