Peggy Albrecht Friendly House Los Angeles (PAFH), the first residential program in the country for women recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, honored writer, producer and actor, Tom Arnold with theHumanitarian Award; Olympic gold medalist boxer, Oscar De La Hoya with the Man of the Yearaward; and Kelly Meyer, co-founder of The American Heart Association Teaching Gardens with the Woman of the Yearaward at their 25th annual Awards Luncheon today at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills. Sydney Holland and Sumner Redstone served as Honorary Co-Chairs; Peggy Albrecht and Michael Hollingsworth, Co-Chaired. Celebrity fashion stylist and television personality Brad Goreski hosted.

 

Luncheon co-chair and Board member, Michael Hollingsworth welcomed the over 600 guests before turning over the stage to Bill Cunningham, President of the Board of Directors of Peggy Albrecht Friendly House. After celebrating the work of the organization since its founding in 1951, Cunningham introduced the afternoon’s host, television personality and celebrity fashion stylist, Brad Goreski who welcomed to the stage, the organization’s Executive Director, Peggy Albrecht.

 

For more than 30 years, Albrecht has been the organization’s guiding force. She has first-hand knowledge of what it is like to rise from the depths of alcoholism. Her own sobriety began over 43 years ago. Since then she has devoted her life to the service of others and has helped thousands of women recover with dignity and purpose in every facet of their lives. Her unwavering dedication was recognized in 2013 when Friendly House was formally renamed Peggy Albrecht Friendly House.

 

As a surprise, Goreski introduced a special video message from actor William Shatner, praising the work of its Executive Director and the accomplishments of Peggy Albrecht Friendly House. Shatner is a long-time supporter of the organization. In 2001, he donated a second residence through The William Shatner Family Foundation in honor of his late wife Nerine. Following the video, 25 servers surprised guests with a grand parade-like entrance where 25 celebratory cakes were present to mark the events quarter century anniversary.

 

Producer Ned Haspel presented the afternoon’s prestigious Humanitarian Award to actor, writer, comedian, producer Tom Arnold. Beginning as a stand-up comedian in Minneapolis, he brought his talents to Los Angeles, eventually landing a job as a writer and later executive producer of the hit ABC comedy, Rosanne. Over the years, Arnold has established himself as an accomplished actor in films including Nine Months, True Lies and Hero in addition to hosting The Best Damn Sports Show Period for Fox Sports Network and CMT’s top rated My Big Redneck franchise.

 

Kelly Chapman Meyer, environmental activist and health advocate, was honored with the Woman of the Year award by good friend and PAFH Board member, Allison Roeder. Meyer, a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and co-founder of the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens, melds her passions to help push forward policies and programs for health and wellness for both the individual and the environment. Meyer co-founded the Teaching Gardens program as a way to combat the rise of childhood obesity and lifestyle-related illnesses. As an environmental activist, she organized the Guinness Book of World Record’s Peace Paddle Out to help raise awareness and funds to protect the oceans. In addition, Meyer co-founded the Women’s Cancer Research Fund and has raised more than $40 million for ground breaking Bio-Marker research.

 

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House’s Man of the Year honoree Oscar De La Hoya, Olympic gold medalist and 10–time world boxing champion, was welcomed to the stage by his sister, Ceci. During his acceptance speech he gave a remarkable gesture to the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House by announcing he would personally donate what was still needed to reach their $100,000 fundraising goal. In addition to being one of the greatest fighters of his era, De La Hoya is a Grammy-nominated singer, author, astute businessman and active philanthropist. Since retiring from the ring in 2009, De La Hoya has focused his attention on building his company, Golden Boy Promotions, into the most successful boxing promotion company in the world. De La Hoya is a huge supporter of public education and partnered with Green Dot Public Schools to found the Oscar De La Hoya Charter Animo High School in 2003, the first high school to open in Boyle Heights in 76 years. For more than a dozen years, De La Hoya has partnered with White Memorial Medical Center, home to the Oscar De La Hoya Labor and Delivery Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He created the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation as a tribute to his beloved mother who died of breast cancer.

 

Highlighting the afternoon program was a moving video tribute to the late Gerrie Patrick, Peggy Albrecht’s closest friend, who had attained 39 years of sobriety, devoting much of her life to the service of Friendly House.

 

The introduction of two Grateful Hearts, “Brianna” and “Crystal” brought the room to a collective hush with their poignant stories of where their lives had been before they were welcomed into Peggy Albrecht Friendly House, what they might have become without its support and what the future holds. A Grateful Heart, by definition, is a woman who has found her way to Friendly House and, because of it, has experienced a fundamental change in her way of thinking and living.

 

About Peggy Albrecht Friendly House

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House was founded in 1951 and was the first home in the country for women recovering from substance and alcohol abuse and is a model for recovery homes in the United States and Europe. They have successfully treated thousands of women with a success rate of 76% compared to the hospital average of 35%. The organization is solely supported by private donations and grants and by the fundraising efforts of the Board of Directors and Grateful Hearts (former residents of Friendly House). Peggy Albrecht Friendly House owns two residences. The Peggy Albrecht Friendly House, a seven-bedroom home built in the early 1900s, is located in the center of Los Angeles and houses 16 residents. In 2001, the William Shatner Family Foundation donated a second house in honor of his late wife, Nerine. Located in West Los Angeles, it is a five-bedroom home and accommodates 11 women. Both houses are overseen by a staff that provides full time supervision and the skills needed for genuine recovery.