November 15, 2006                                                                         

CONTACT:      Casey Aden-Wansbury, 202-662-3615

Renee Zellweger, George Stephanopoulos, Ali Wentworth Headline

Children’s Defense Fund 2006 Beat the Odds^? Awards Dinner

CDF gives scholarships to five Washington, DC area students

WASHINGTON, DC -  The Children’s Defense Fund last night hosted its 2006 Annual Beat the Odds^? Awards Dinner and fundraiser honoring five Washington, DC area high school seniors who have overcome tremendous adversity to become leaders in their schools and mentors to those in need in the community, while developing academic skills necessary to pursue a college education.   Comedian Ali Wentworth and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos emceed the event at the Capital Hilton Hotel, and Academy Award winning actress Renee Zellweger served as award presenter. 

“Too often we hear about the negative outcomes of teenagers faced with problems such as poverty, violence, homelessness, family separation, or substance abuse,” said CDF President Marian Wright Edelman at last night’s dinner. “The Beat the Odds Program celebrates the positive potential of young people by honoring those who have succeeded and providing role models for those who are still struggling.” 

CDF began the Beat the Odds awards program in 1990 to affirm the success of young people who have overcome major obstacles in their lives.  The five Washington, DC area Beat the Odds 2006 award recipients are Natasha Bridge (Lorton, VA), Michael Downey (Fairfax, VA), Chloe Khan (Rockville, MD), Tuan Nguyen (Silver Spring, MD), and Charlette Nicole Smith (Washington, DC).  In the past, recipients have gone on to become professionals in their chosen fields, advocates on behalf of children, and champions of perseverance and social justice.  Since the inaugural event in Los Angeles in 1990, CDF has hosted Beat the Odds celebrations in more than 20 cities across the United States.  Background information on the students is below. The award winners will each receive $10,000 in college scholarships, a $500 shopping spree at Macy’s and laptop computers.

“I have had the great fortune as an actress to play many roles, but I don’t know if I could have attempted to play the roles that these extraordinary young people have,” Zellweger said in her remarks.

The event, attended by more than 350 supporters, was underwritten by the Freddie Mac Foundation and sponsored by the Coca Cola Foundation of Atlanta, GA as well as other significant sponsors.  It raised more than $500,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund.  The evening also featured performances by the Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts Choir. 

“Amid all the challenges facing youth today, we’re honored to be able to celebrate the young people who have turned the obstacles before them into stepping-stones toward a better, brighter future. These stories remind us why supporting CDF is so important,” said Maxine B. Baker, President and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation.

“News stories about youth are usually about getting into trouble, dropping out of school, becoming involved with drugs or crime or gangs or becoming parents too soon,” Wentworth and Stephanopoulos said in their remarks.  “But we rarely stop to recognize the many young people who excel despite facing such challenges as poverty, violence, homelessness, family break-ups or substance abuse.  Beat the Odds Awards do that and we are proud to be part of this event.”

 Natasha Bridge

 Michael Downey

Chloe Khan

Tuan Nguyen

Charlette Nicole Smith

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The Children's Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind? mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.