On October 20th, 2014, Ackerman Institute for the Family celebrated its Annual Moving Families Forward Gala at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City. With more than 285 guests in attendance, the evening was a great success, raising over $500,000 for the Ackerman Clinic to advance the treatment of families and children, and to further the training and research in family therapy. Guests included members of our Board of Directors, faculty, trainees, colleagues and their friends and family. President & CEO, Lois Braverman, “When you support the Ackerman Institute, you support the development of innovative strategies through clinical research for best practices.”
Alice Netter and Martha Fling were the co-chairs of the Gala, and thanks to their unique and creative vision, the night was an enchanting success. “Families are the bedrock of our society. Ackerman provides such innovative treatment and training, your support is vital.” says Alice Netter. Martha Fling echoed her sentiments, saying, “As always, we are proud of the cutting edge work that Ackerman is doing serving families.”
WPIX News Anchor, Tamsen Fadal, hosted the evening’s festivities. “What Ackerman does and means for families is extraordinary, it’s a place of healing where families in distress can work through issues and problems, and really be heard in a deep and profound way.”
Ackerman Board Chair, John R. O’Neill presented the Ackerman Distinguished Service Award to Board Member Linda Dishy. “15 years ago, I joined the Ackerman Board and I am still in awe of the high quality of the faculty’s work with families.”
Lois Braverman presented Andrew Solomon with this year’s Ackerman Partner Award. Andrew Solomon’s, most recent book, Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity tells the stories of parents who learn to deal with their exceptional children – children with challenges ranging from deafness and dwarfism, to Down Syndrome, autism and schizophrenia – but also find profound meaning in doing so. Click here to watch his acceptance speech, in which he received a standing ovation from the audience.
We are grateful for all our colleagues, friends and family whose generosity made the evening a great success, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year!
