I had such a great time at the K.I.D.S. luncheon on Tuesday. The long day was totally worth it. It was truly inspiring to be sitting in a room with so many successful, charitable and wonderful women. Janice was so thankful to all that traveled to make the event. She never stopped looking around the room to make sure everyone was happy and taken care of.  It is always inspiring to see how much she appreciates everyone who puts forth interest in her cause. That is what I love. Whether you give five thousand dollars, or a million dollars she is equally thankful. Working with all the charities that I do, I have to say she is one of the most pationate about her cause and she seems to truly enjoy her job. They honored three amazing women on Tuesday, but it was clear who everyone truly respected and looked up to. I am extremely grateful to be able to work with such a wonderful lady!

 K.I.D.S. Honors Three Exemplary Women at June 2 Fundraising Luncheon

  Left to right: Honorees Connie X. Rishwain and Michelle Paige Paterson, K.I.D.S. President Janice Weinman, K.I.D.S. Board Member and Luncheon Chair Karen Bromley, Honoree Pilar Guzmán.

(Additional photos and high resolution images are available upon request.)

 June 2, 2009 – New York – The children’s charity Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) honored three women for their achievements in helping children and families at a luncheon Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at Le Parker Meridien New York.  The honorees were New York State First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson; Connie X. Rishwain, president of the shoe companies UGG^® Australia and Simple^®; and Pilar Guzmán, editor-in-chief of Cookie magazine.  Founded in 1985, K.I.D.S. is dedicated to providing new products to children in need and assisting in global relief efforts for major disasters.  The theme for this year’s luncheon was “Generations of Giving Back,” focusing on the values that guide people to give back to their community, and people who serve as examples.  More than 160 people were in attendance and over $76,000 was raised.

“Each honoree has a history of commitment to issues that affect children and are wonderful exemplars of how important it is to give back to one’s community,” said K.I.D.S. President Janice Weinman.  “First Lady Paterson’s work in combating childhood obesity, our board member Connie Rishwain’s tireless support of K.I.D.S. and other children’s charities, and Pilar Guzmán’s efforts to inform parents, as well as her leadership with the New York Center for Children, make them all role models from whom everyone can learn. 

First Lady Paterson’s public service efforts include turning the fitness challenge that she created for her home community of Harlem into a statewide initiative called “Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge”.  The 270 classrooms of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders participating so far in 2009 logged 1.4 billion steps of exercise in just six weeks.  The classrooms that completed the most steps were recently recognized with events in Buffalo and Albany, NY, where the children received new sneakers to help keep them exercising towards their healthy goals. 

“I want to thank K.I.D.S for this honor and for all of the work they do to help children and families across the country and around the world,” said First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson.  “Recently K.I.D.S. and Stride Rite Children’s Group, Inc. donated new sneakers to the winners of my fitness challenge so that these students can continue to exercise and encourage their friends to become more active and healthy.  I applaud the work of K.I.D.S. and its President Janice Weinman and I look forward to continuing to collaborate on future projects to combat childhood obesity.”

In 2006, Connie X. Rishwain orchestrated close to $900,000 worth of footwear donations to K.I.D.S. and was named K.I.D.S.’ Individual Donor of the Quarter.  During Hurricane Katrina, Connie’s personal donations of assorted clothes, as well as Deckers’ donations of footwear, helped children and families in Louisiana renew their hope and gave them a chance to put their lives back together.  In the fall of 2007, Connie joined the K.I.D.S. board and continues to contribute to the organization as well as make charity a priority for UGG^® Australia through sample sales and individual donations.

“I am so humbled by this honor,” said Connie X. Rishwain, president of UGG^® Australia and Simple^®.  “It is our honor to be able to contribute to such a great organization and I am fortunate to be here celebrating generations of giving with both my mother and daughter.”

Pilar Guzmán was recently selected as one of the Crain’s “Top Forty Under 40 Class of 2008,” which recognizes rising stars in the corporate world, successful entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and individuals who pursue their talents in medicine, education, and the arts.  She serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Center for Children (NYCC), a child-friendly free clinic providing assessment and therapy services to victims of child abuse.  NYCC also offers professional training programs on diagnosis and treatment of child abuse, and abuse awareness and prevention programs for the general public.  NYCC has recently joined the network of community agencies served by K.I.D.S.

“One thing that I think distinguishes mothers is our overwhelming instinct to respond to a child in distress, so I thank K.I.D.S. for in many ways embodying motherhood, and becoming a surrogate parent to millions of children,” said Cookie Editor-in-Chief Pilar Guzmán.  “The same idea of caring for any child in need makes me proud to accept this award.  Like K.I.D.S., the New York Center for Children believes that they are all our children.  It echoes the experience of motherhood: a visceral need to not only protect your child, but other children as well.” 

The guest speaker for the luncheon was Fatima Goldman, executive director and CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), a New York-based charity that is supported by K.I.D.S.  FPWA has been a prominent force in New York City’s social service system for more than 85 years.  The organization provides management assistance, capacity building, and advocacy services to close to 300 member agencies and churches, with a network serving more than 1.5 million New Yorkers of all ages and ethnicities.  

“Since we began our partnership three years ago, K.I.DS has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of new merchandise to FPWA, which we in turn have distributed to our members,” said Executive Director and CEO Fatima Goldman.  “The adult and children’s clothing, the accessories, the toys and many other donated items have a real and significant impact on the poor and near poor who otherwise would go without.”

K.I.D.S. brings hope and self-esteem to children and their families by providing new clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and juvenile products donated by leading manufacturers and retailers. The donations move through a network of community social service agencies in the U.S. and abroad to reach children living in poverty, the homeless, domestic abuse victims, children with low literacy, military families, ill children, families of the incarcerated and disaster survivors.  More information is available online at www.kidsdonations.org.

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 Media Contact: Peter Paris, 212-279-5493 x203 pparis@kidsdonations.org 

Volunteers, Aliza Weinstein and Melody Calzada