Reunion Online

On May 9, 2013, Joyful Heart staff, board members and supporters gathered to celebrate the Joyful Revolution at our 2013 annual gala. This year’s theme was YES RISK JOY. These words were borrowed from a poem by Louise Glück called snowdrops, and this theme echoed throughout Cipriani 42nd Street that night—from the beautiful installation at the entrance of the space that brought written word to life, to the moving story of our work, told by the evening’s host, Peter Hermann. Mariska Hargitay, Joyful Heart’s Founder & President, was so proud to honor Joyful Heart board member Sukey Novogratz with this year’s Heart of Gold Award.

On March 13, 2013, Joyful Heart joined our partners in Washington D.C. for the public launch of NO MORE, the nation’s first unifying awareness symbol to end domestic violence and sexual assault. It was an electrifying and historic day, bringing crucial discussion and unprecedented light to our issues. NO MORE Day of Action came on the heels of the President’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, 400 days after the bill’s expiration and subsequent debate in Congress. For members of the field who work with these issues, the timing of the day underscored the necessity to come together as a united front to say NO MORE to bystanding, silence and violence against women and children.

A gorgeous, sunny day—the kind that exist only in southern California—set the stage for the LANVIN collection preview and luncheon to benefit the Joyful Heart Foundation and to toast Mariska’s birthday. The event was hosted by the LA Committee along with Jenny Belushi, Helen Kinnear, Crystal Lourd, Heather Mnuchin and Noelle Wolf and took place on February 1st at Heather’s home of in Los Angeles. This collection preview and luncheon provided a wonderful opportunity to bring together some of the LA’s most influential women and share the tremendous importance of Joyful Heart’s work and how the vision of one woman—Mariska—has transformed the lives of so many women and children.

Never was the beauty and magic of our Hawai‘i community more evident that on the evening of September 1st, when we celebrated Joyful Heart’s inaugural Hawai‘i gala, an event we called our “Joyful Mele.” It was the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and the fulfillment of an inspired dream that our Founder and President, Mariska Hargitay, had eight years ago.

As you know, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And this year, Joyful Heart partnered with dozens of organizations, community-based programs and government officials to turn towards the issue of sexual assault in New York City with Denim Day.

Rise Up for Children and Teens

On Wednesday evening, May 9, 2012, the Joyful Heart Foundation staff, Board of Directors and hundreds of supporters gathered in downtown New York for the Fifth Annual Joyful Revolution Gala. And joyful it was. From the moment guests stepped into the vast space of Cipriani Wall Street from the dreary rain, joy was everywhere.

Created in June 2010, the Honolulu 5K For Kids is a local not-for-profit event that helps promote health and fitness for Hawai‘i's children, as well as their families, to create a more active and healthy lifestyle. All the funds that were raised through the event go towards providing additional funds to Hawai‘i schools for physical education, fitness, and athletic programs.

Joyful Heart’s Healing & Wellness team had the pleasure of traveling to Washington, D.C. to attend the Second World Conference of Women’s Shelters. The historic gathering brought approximately 1,500 advocates from 96 countries to the United States.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Joyful Heart Foundation hosted our very first Los Angeles fundraising event, Joy Rocks, at the home of all things rock, the House of Blues. We gathered to honor the men who are playing such an important role in the movement to end sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to celebrate the work of our LA community.