Actress/Philanthropist Angela Bassett, Actress/Philanthropist Pauletta Pearson Washington, BET Networks Chair and CEO Debra Lee and Actress/Philanthropist LaTanya Richardson Jackson will be honored at the 10th Annual Women of Excellence Awards Luncheon, it was announced by LadyLike Foundation’s President and CEO, Leah Pump.
LadyLike Foundation will confer the honors on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s International Ballroom. Holly Robinson-Peete serves as the luncheon’s emcee. The event is expected to raise a half million dollars for the nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate, empower and inspire young girls living in underprivileged communities around the Greater Los Angeles area. Funds raised at the luncheon enable LadyLike Foundation to provide five scholarships to college bound young ladies from the inner city of Los Angeles.
“We are thrilled to honor Angela Bassett,” says Leah Pump. “Her excellence as an actress, wife, mother and philanthropist, is an inspiration to so many of the young ladies our organization serves. Angela Bassett is one of the most celebrated actresses of our time, who stars in blockbuster films, yet one of the most gratifying moments of her career was merging her faith and talent, giving voice to various characters in the all-time best selling audiobook, THE BIBLE EXPERIENCE. Ms. Bassett truly embodies the Woman of Excellence.”
Broadway, film and television actress Pauletta Pearson Washington will be honored for “her Excellence as an actress, wife and mother and for being one of the kindest and most philanthropic women I know,” says Ms. Pump.
As BET Networks Chairman and CEO, Debra L. Lee is one of the most powerful and influential people in entertainment. “Throughout her career, Ms. Lee has set patterns of excellence with BET Networks’ programming and corporate philanthropy. She is a trailblazer who has inspired so many young ladies, especially African-American girls, to aspire to a career as top executives in corporate entertainment, a field once so heavily dominated by men. Ms. Lee truly shattered the glass ceiling with her monumental achievements. We are excited to honor her as a Woman of Excellence,” says Ms. Pump.
“Tony Award-nominated actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson is a true inspiration to young women, that even with tremendous career success, one should always find time to give back,” says Ms. Pump. “She and her husband, Samuel L. Jackson established the Samuel L. & LaTanya R. Jackson Foundation to carry out their commitment to a range of philanthropic issues in the United States and Africa. LaTanya has received a number of awards for her philanthropic work including The United Negro College Fund, and the N.Y. Keeper of the Dream Award. We feel privileged to honor her as a Woman of Excellence.”
The LadyLike Foundation is a faith-based nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate, empower and inspire young women living in underprivileged communities. Through cutting edge resource programs, workshops, mentorships and life lessons, young ladies are challenged to reach their highest potential and become the successful, well-rounded “Lady” they were created to be. The organization’s Women of Excellence Luncheon is the primary fundraiser for LadyLike Foundation.
