Thursday, October 12, 2023
6:00 PM PDT - 9:30 PM PDT

Breathtaking Venue

Taglyan Complex
6321 Lexington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Please join us in this celebration of resilience, hope, and transformation. Every contribution helps us provide a safe and loving homes for our children and smooths the transition to independence for youth exiting foster care. Together, we can change the narrative for children in foster care and create a future where every child thrives.

O U R   H O N O R E E S 

Francesca Orsi 
Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series & Films 
Champion Award

Francesca Orsi is Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, responsible for developing and overseeing the production of original programming on the drama slate. With a visionary approach, she has championed a string of award-winning, record-breaking, and culturally impactful series including SUCCESSION, MARE OF EASTTOWN, WATCHMEN, BIG LITTLE LIES, THE UNDOING, WE ARE WHO WE ARE, WE OWN THIS CITY, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, PERRY MASON, THE OUTSIDER, SHARP OBJECTS, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, IRMA VEP, HIS DARK MATERIALS, WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS, THE NEVERS, WESTWORLD, GENTLEMAN JACK, WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY, THE GILDED AGE, INDUSTRY, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND aka THE NEAPOLITAN NOVELS by Elena Ferrante, and the reboot of IN TREATMENT. Earlier in her career as an executive, Orsi oversaw dramas including GAME OF THRONES, THE LEFTOVERS, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, TRUE BLOOD and BIG LOVE, as well as the comedy, GETTING ON. On the film side, Orsi recently oversaw the Emmy-nominated movies, THE SURVIVOR and OSLO, as well as the recent Sydney Sweeney starring film, REALITY. Currently, Orsi is overseeing HBO’s highly anticipated new drama series including TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY, THE REGIME, THE SYMPATHIZER, the GAME OF THRONES prequel A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, and an untitled crime drama from the creator of MARE OF EASTTOWN.

In February 2023, a groundbreaking achievement marked HBO history when four current series, all falling under Orsi’s slate, had cross-platform audiences averaging over 15 million viewers per episode for the first time. These included the GAME OF THRONES’ prequel, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, which debuted to the largest audience for any new original series in HBO history, THE LAST OF US, THE WHITE LOTUS, and EUPHORIA.

Orsi was included in Hollywood Reporter’s 2022 Women in Entertainment Power 100, as well as Cablefax’s Most Powerful Women of 2022. Orsi's unparalleled leadership has revolutionized TV storytelling, influencing both content creation and audience engagement. As she continues to lead HBO's creative endeavors, her indelible mark on the TV landscape serves as a testament to the far-reaching power of stories beyond the entertainment industry.

Paris Barclay
Emmy Award-Winning Director, Producer, and Writer
Visionary Award

A preeminent force in television entertainment, Barclay has directed nearly 200 episodes of television and was active as a Director/Producer for series including: Station 19, Pitch, Sons of Anarchy, Cold Case, and more. He earned two Emmy Awards and the DGA award for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series for NYPD Blue, received seven additional Emmy nominations for both producing and directing, and garnered ten other DGA Award nominations for shows as diverse as Glee, In Treatment, The West Wing, and House.

A DGA member since 1992, Barclay was the first African-American and openly gay President in the Guild’s history. He was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2021, he was given DGA's Honorary Life Member Award, the Guild’s highest honor for both service and career achievement. He is currently in postproduction on a feature documentary he co-wrote and directed about the famed musician Billy Preston.

Along with his industry honors, Paris has been recognized for his creative, humanitarian and political work by organizations such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign. The proud parent of two adopted boys with his husband Christopher, his motto is: “What is the point of success if you don’t give back?”

Neal Broverman and Robbie Pierce 
Resource & Adoptive Parents
Sylvia Fogelman Founder's Award

Robbie and Neal always wanted to be parents. After waiting to move into a bigger apartment, they opened their home to the first child to join their family in October 2018. Two months later, they learned he would be reunited with his extended family in another state. They slowly transitioned Calvin, a fun-loving kid with a happy demeanor, to living with his first family over the next seven months. 

Unexpectedly, just days after their wedding in 2019, Neal and Robbie discovered that Calvin could rejoin them. After many ups and downs, they were elated when they adopted him a year later (in October 2020) - the same month they welcomed a foster daughter to their home. She came to them in the evening and was very distraught; Calvin did his best to make her feel safe and welcome. She lived with them for over a year and a half before reunifying. Since then, Neal, Robbie, and Calvin have remained close to her and her family.

We recognize Neal and Robbie for consistently going above and beyond as foster and adoptive parents and for their fierce advocacy. Last year, Neal and Robbie's family were victims of a homophobic attack. Tonight, we honor their bravery in continuing to stand up publicly on various platforms, including NBC News. They continue serving the community in their careers: Neal is the editorial director at equalpride, publisher of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, Plus, and Pride.com, and Robbie is a schoolteacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.