Norwood has raised an unprecedented £2.4 million at the 2006 Annual Dinner, the most important fundraising night of the year for the leading Jewish children and families charity. The dinner was held on Monday 6 November at The Grosvenor House. 1000 guests helped Norwood to raise the record sum this year, which will go towards the £8 million voluntary donations Norwood needs each year to meet the charity’s £34 million turnover. Carol Sopher, chaired the Dinner Committee for the third time and the evening was sponsored by The Barbara and Stanley Fink Foundation.
The guest speaker was Harvey Weinstein, who founded Miramax Films with his brother Bob, naming the company after their parents, Miriam and Max. The movie mogul, who has created blockbuster films including Cold Mountain, Life is Beautiful, and Shakespeare in Love, gave an impassioned appeal for guests to support Norwood, to ensure the provision of services to approximately 7000 families in the UK. Since many of the services receive no government funding, Norwood relies on donor support for these vital services to the Jewish community.
Guests at the dinner were moved by Norwood's film ‘Shattered Lives', featuring two Jewish women's stories, illustrating the devastating affect of domestic violence on children and families in our Community. Sadly, 1 in 4 Jewish marriages ends in divorce and 1 in 5 divorces is caused by domestic violence. The Norwood social work team directly supports children and families to recover from the profound impact of domestic violence, one of the harrowing issues dealt with on a daily basis.
Richard Desmond, President of Norwood, said, ‘I'm overjoyed that we've had a record-breaking success raising £2.4 million at the largest Annual Dinner Norwood has held. It was a fabulous evening and I want to thank our supporters for enabling Norwood to continue with it's vital work in our Community.'
Chair of the Helping Hand Awards, Gillian Fenner, presented Shelley Gilbert, Michael Levin and Judy and Arik Meshulam with awards in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the Jewish community.
To crown the evening, dancers from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, took the floor at the end of the night to dazzle the guests with their incredible dance routines. The audience were held spellbound for nearly half an hour as they watched professional dancers Vincent and Flavia and Darren and Lilia, in a performance to remember.
The new generation of philanthropists, the Young Norwood guests, were delighted to join President Richard Desmond and Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein to share after-dinner drinks at The Rink Bar to round off the evening.
The Dinner Committee, chaired by Carol Sopher, worked tirelessly to ensure the evening’s success. The committee includes Michelle Goldberg, Carolyn Goldhill, Adele Goldstein, David Ereira, Gill Fenner, Ronnie Harris, Steven Howard, Sian Levy, Gary Sacks, Michael Teacher and Alex Tucker.
Guests included influential figures and well-known personalities, including the Chief Rabbi and Lady Sacks, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Care Services, Ivan Lewis MP, Lord Levy, Lord Janner, Zac and Ben Goldsmith, the Israeli Ambassador, His Excellency, Zvi Heifetz, Sir Philip Green, Gerald and Dame Gail Ronson and Sir David Frost.
For further information please contact Naomi Creeger, Public Relations Manager at Norwood on 020 8420 6900 or email naomi.creeger@norwood.org.uk
