HUNDREDS STAND PROUDLY WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AT ANNUAL SPRING LUNCHEONNearly 600 supporters attend fundraising event in Stamford, Conn. that raised more than
$600,000 for PPSNE.
(Stamford, Conn.) – Today, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) held its annual Spring Luncheon at the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa in Stamford, Conn. The event drew a crowd of nearly 600 friends, advocates and supporters who raised more than $600,000 for PPSNE. Many cited the relentless attacks on Planned Parenthood, and reproductive health care and rights from the current administration as reasons for supporting the event.
“For all the advancements we are making, our mission is under constant attack by an administration that is bound and determined to take us backward,” said Amanda Skinner, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “With our vision of equity guiding our path, and with everyone here standing strongly with us, I am confident that we will triumph over the adversities in our environment. I am so grateful for the energy and dedication of everyone in this room. From the bottom of my heart – thank you.”
The PPSNE Spring Luncheon was co-chaired by Greenwich residents Erica Buchsbaum, Julie Church, Danielle Eason, Donna Moffly, Sheila Mossman, and Stamford resident Diane McEnroe. Comedian and longtime Greenwich resident Jane Condon was the host for the fourth consecutive year. Faye Wattleton, former President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (1978-1992), was the event’s keynote speaker. She offered profound insight into the importance of social justice, access to health care, and talked about the future of Planned Parenthood.
“We can never go back to a time when women’s lives were endangered because they wanted to control their fertility. We cannot let that ever become the experience in this country again,” Wattleton said. “For the past 100 years we have been here. For the next 100 years, we will be here. We must remain steadfast, speak out, and serve. No matter what, we will not go back – we will go forward.”
The Community Impact Award – given annually to a person or group that actively promotes the Planned Parenthood vision of reproductive health and human rights – was presented to Mary and Congressman Jim Himes. Together they have made tremendous contributions in advancing the mission of Planned Parenthood both locally and in Washington, D.C. Congressman Himes presented a Congressional Certificate of Courage to local student Kate Murray for standing with Planned Parenthood. He reminded us on this day 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated for fighting for the disenfranchised and marginalized, and we must continue to fight for all people.
Ali Walensky, a 26-year-old Planned Parenthood patient, shared her personal story of her breast cancer diagnose and treatment – which began at a Planned Parenthood health center in Brooklyn, N.Y. She is now 10 months cancer-free, and encouraged everyone in the room to keep fighting for access to health care.
“We need to remember the fight is not over. This is not a Democrat thing or a Republican thing. This is a human thing,” Walensky said. “We must continue to use our voices and real scientific facts to push even harder and make sure all women in America have access to the health care they need and deserve.”
All proceeds from the Annual Spring Luncheon go directly to care for PPSNE patients who receive high-quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay. Every year, more than 72,000 women, men and young people rely on Planned Parenthood of Southern New England for convenient and high-quality care. More than 90 percent of services are preventive, including STD/STI testing, all FDA approved birth control methods, pregnancy testing and counseling, emergency contraception, and HIV testing, counseling, and prevention (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP], a daily pill that helps prevent HIV by more than 90 percent) and more.
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Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is one of the region’s largest providers of family planning and reproductive health care services. Since 1923, PPSNE has evolved into an organization with 18 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, delivering care to more than 72,000 patients annually, and 90 percent of the services provided are preventive.
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