Olive Crest Desert Communities, known for its dedication to preventing child abuse, treating and educating at-risk children and preserving the family “one life at a time,” hosted its “Power of One” fundraising dinner on Feb. 19 with 225 guests in attendance.
This year’s event was dedicated to the memory of George DeVries, an outstanding pillar of our community who died last fall. George and his wife, Nancy, are long-time Olive Crest supporters, with George serving on the board of trustees for nearly 20 years.
This year’s event featured an elegant dinner to celebrate the Olive Crest Champions of Hope — individuals and companies dedicated to protecting and serving local children and families in crisis. An elegant reception featuring a strolling guitar with live auction items on display commenced at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 6 p.m.
Karen Devine served as emcee. Guests rose from their seats as recording artist Tom Solis sang a beautiful rendition of “America the Beautiful” to open the evening’s festivities. Solis is the nephew of rock ‘n’ roll legend Sammy Hagar, so talent definitely runs in that family.
This year’s Champions of Hope included Hydes Air Conditioning & Electrical (Business of the Year), The John and Samantha Burns Family (Family of the Year) and Bill and Barb Lindsey (Donor of the Year).
Dayanara Torres, a graduate of Olive Crest’s Transitional Age Youth Program, stepped to the podium to share her emotional journey of accomplishment, stability and possibility.
“I graduated from the Olive Crest Program with $20,000, proving that working in this program diligently pays off,” she said. “This helped me to have a stable path forward. I feel grateful for the support I needed to change my life, but I also feel empowered. I honestly feel like there is nothing I cannot accomplish because Olive Crest has helped me to see my value.”
Tracy Fitzsimmons, Olive Crest’s executive director, then introduced the evening’s keynote speaker: Alia Azariah, a nationally recognized expert on human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
“Alia is a survivor of human trafficking whose life has been transformed through courage, faith and resilience,” Fitzsimmons said. “Today, she is a powerful advocate for prevention and restoration, using her voice to bring awareness, healing and hope to those impacted by exploitation. Her story is one of redemption and of the power of one life choosing freedom.”
As Director of Aftercare at Safe House Project, Azariah develops and implements training programs and guides national standards of care. Over the course of her career, she has trained thousands of professionals, testified as an expert witness and spoken at leading platforms, including the U.S. Capitol, the UK Parliament and the California State Senate.
Her expertise spans survivor after care, juvenile justice, child welfare, policy, investigations and trauma-informed program development. Her ongoing focus lies in creating safe and sustainable communities for youth trafficking survivors through education, advocacy, service, provision and social justice. With the combination of professional knowledge, personal experience and compassion, Azariah diligently works at both local and national levels to create lasting change in the lives of trafficking survivors through specialized training and safe housing initiatives.
Guests sprang to their feet to give Azariah a standing ovation as she concluded her presentation.
Dinner sponsors included Stonegate West Real Estate; Hinkle Painting; Sun Community Federal Credit Union; Hydes Air Conditioning & Electrical; Albright Law; Associa Desert Resort Management; Walter Clark Legal Group; Highland Street Foundation; Southern California Energy; The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage; JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa; Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa; Denise Francis; and Solis Wealth Management Inc.
Media sponsors included The Desert Sun & LocaliQ, KESQ TV News Channel 3, Conniosseur Media and Inland Empire Magazine.
Olive Crest serves 5,000 children and families each day throughout the Western United States. For more information, call 760-895-0765 or visit olivecrest.org.
Madeline Zuckerman is owner and president of M. Zuckerman Marketing & Public Relations Inc., a marketing, branding, public relations and special events firm with offices in Rancho Mirage and Newport Beach, California. Zuckerman is a founder of McCallum Theatre, a Desert Arc Champion, a member of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation and a board member of the One Valley Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. She has been a guest reporter for The Desert Sun for 18 years.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Local champions of hope honored by Olive Crest
Reporting by Madeline Zuckerman, Special to The Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
