It's Everyone's Business to Stop Domestic Violence
Seattle business leaders joined together at the Downtown Seattle Nordstrom store on October 21 for the fourth annual New Beginnings benefit lunch “It’s Everyone’s Business to Stop Domestic Violence”. More than $120,000 was raised to benefit New Beginnings programs and services and thanks to corporate sponsors 100% of the funds will be used to help end domestic violence in our community.
The New Beginnings benefit lunch, sponsored by Nordstrom, and supported by business leaders Anne and Wayne Gittinger, Verizon Wireless, Columbia Bank, Cozen O’Connor Attorneys, Hotel Ändra and Lane Powell, among others, is held in October in observance of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Community leaders Kelley Kurtzman, President, Pacific Northwest Region for Verizon Wireless, Bruce Nordstrom, Nordstrom Chairman Emeritus, Coach Lorenzo Romar, UW Men’s Basketball Coach and Nancy Slater, New Beginnings Board Member were introduced by event host KIRO TV reporter Deborah Horne, and each shared their heartfelt, personal stories on ways individuals and businesses can help family, friends and colleagues put an end to Domestic Violence.
Event Co-Chairs Luann Linn and Brooke Barnes honored event founder Gail Cottle, who has supported New Beginnings for 20 years as a fundraiser and as a public advocate. The benefit event has successfully raised over $440,000 over the past four years to support New Beginnings work to end domestic violence
Our MC Deborah Horne, of KIRO-TV, has a strong personal commitment to end domestic violence.
A gathering of community support for New Beginnings.
Left to right:
Jeannie Nordstrom, Dale Cameron, Lois Loontjens - New Beginnings Executive Director, Nancy Slater - New Beginnings Board Member, Kelley Kurtzman - Verizon Wireless President, Pacific Northwest Region, and Event Sponsor, Wayne Gittinger - Event Sponsor, Gail Cottle - Event Founder, Bruce Nordstrom, Anne Gittinger – Event Sponsor, Coach Lorenzo Romar – Keynote Speaker
The 2009 Benefit Lunch Committee: April Ericson, Brooke Barnes - Event Co-Chair, Jill Gallagher, Maggie Douglas, Jennifer Brown, Luann Linn - Event Co-Chair
Thanks to our sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor
Signature Sponsor
Anne and Wayne Gittinger
Premier Sponsor
Major Event Sponsors
Event Underwriters
In Kind Donors
Musically Speaking
Domestic violence is not just a personal issue. Its effects spill out into our entire community, including the workplace, resulting in lost productivity and the very real danger of violence on the job. The Family Violence Prevention Fund has said it best: It is crucial that domestic abuse be seen as a serious, recognizable, and preventable problem like thousands of other workplace health and safety issues that affect a business and its bottomline.
To learn more about the workplace costs of domestic violence, click here.
To learn more about our 2008 Benefit Lunch, click here.