Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner, and recipient of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE), Jane Seymour will be honored with the annual Dream Big Award at the Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM) 20th annual Soiree celebration.
Twenty-six years after the eruption of the L.A. riots, Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM), Los Angeles’ pioneering non-profit organization guiding middle school students from challenging urban neighborhoods to reach their full potential and develop their leadership skills, is celebrating its Anniversary at the gala, taking place on the evening of Thursday, October25th at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.
Supermodel-turned-mogul, Kathy Ireland, last year’s honoree, is Soiree’s emcee.
“Jane’s dedication to bettering the lives of children around the world, is a perfect example of Hollywood at its best,” says Maria Melton, Executive Director of LATM. "From her work with the Red Cross, which included a trip to Africa with eight inner-city children from Los Angeles to participate in the vaccination of 13 million children in Kenya against measles, to her work with ChildHelp USA, a national organization dedicated to the research, treatment and prevention of child abuse, to her founding of the Open Hearts Foundation, which is a social impact accelerator that is committed to empowering emerging and growing nonprofit organizations, whose origins and mission are consistent with the precepts of the Open Hearts philosophy, Jane exemplifies the spirit and accomplishment of glorious dreams. Jane has dedicated her celebrity and worldwide respect to improving the protection and advancement of children around the world, and we are honored to honor her," adds Ms. Melton.
“We are thrilled to honor MGO for their philosophy that corporate success goes hand in hand with social responsibility and outreach,” states Ms. Melton. “MGO is a strong supporter and advocate of gender equality and causes that promote the advancement of those in need. MGO’s Managing Director, Antony Gordon, is a respected business and community leader who believes that success must be shared, especially with society’s underserved youth, so they are equipped with the tools to become tomorrow’s leaders. We are honored to present MGO and its Managing Director Antony Gordon with the Corporate Excellence Award.”
Immediately in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest, Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM) launched its first after-school mentoring program at Horace Mann Middle School, located just three miles from the epicenter of the Los Angeles Riots. Its team-based mentoring model, developed by the Princeton Center for Leadership, was instituted to train and encourage that leadership, the benefits of which have long been helping to modify the effects of gang activity, violence, poverty and high drop-out rates of young people.
Since its inception, the organization has impacted the lives of 26,000 young people through two and a half million hours of after school mentoring. The organization focuses on the critical non-school hours – after-school, weekends and summers – to ensure that students have a safe and structured programming and access to trusted adult role models. Youth enroll in LATM’s program in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Although LATM does not provide tutoring, students in the program not only earn higher grades — but go on 4 years later to graduate at a 22% higher rate — in spite of 29% of those same students coming from homes where neither parent has graduated from high school. In addition, 100% of LATM youth have increased self-esteem — giving them the critical foundation they need to dream big and succeed at all things in life.
LATM’s annual Soiree is the organization’s signature fundraising event, which ensures over 330 volunteer mentors are able to provide critical mentoring services to over 1,300 at-risk youth for an entire school year. The event sells out each year through sponsorships and support of dedicated organizations. This year’s presenting sponsors Live Nation, TPG Real Estate, Eastdil Secured, Latham & Watkins and LATM Founder Darell Krasnoff are joined by Kirkland & Ellis, Keenan & Associates, Dolby, Banc of California, Goldman Sachs, Greenspoon Marder, Ernst & Young, Nickelodeon, Deluxe, Row8, and many more. Los Angeles magazine is this year’s Soiree media partner.
Find more info about the event here.
