For Immediate Release: 9/13/07

Naples, FL – The Guild of the Shelter for Abused Women & Children is pleased to present the eighth annual Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon, starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 29, 2008, at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, located at 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road.

In addition to a keynote address by former Manhattan prosecutor and best-selling crime novelist Linda Fairstein, one of America’s foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children, the Shelter’s 2008 Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon will include:

• Designers’ Trunk Show Boutique – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, February 29 and March 1, 2008, featuring 17 exclusive vendors.
• General Reception – 11 a.m., come early and meet Fairstein before the luncheon begins.
• Silent Auction – 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., bid on exciting excursions, golf packages, gourmet dinning experiences, artwork, jewelry and more!
• Raffle – featuring two select items! Tickets are $35 each or four for $100.

Guest speaker Linda Fairstein served as the Bureau Chief of the pioneering Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, New York County District Attorney’s Office where she supervised Manhattan cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and homicides arising from these crimes. Her first book, the non-fiction Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1993, was based directly on her work experience.

During her speaking engagements, and through her novels, Fairstein addresses intimate partner violence and related life-and-death issues. Her second work, Final Jeopardy, was the first in an internationally best-selling series of crime novels featuring Manhattan Prosecutor Alexandra (Alex) Cooper, a character based on Fairstein’s life as a prosecutor. The tenth Cooper novel, Killer Heat, will be hitting bookstore shelves in early 2008.

In addition to a role as a media consultant with the major networks, Fairstein was also the source of inspiration for producer Dick Wolf as he developed the television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999. The drama’s prosecutor, Ms. Alex Cabot (played by Stephanie March) is modeled on Fairstein's career.

Credited with changing case law for a more equitable distribution of justice for victims of violent and sexual crimes, Fairstein will address the issues of economic and social empowerment with the more than 600 guests expected for the Shelter for Abused Women & Children’s luncheon.

A nonprofit organization, the Shelter provides a wide array of program and services to more than 19,650 individuals each year, including face-to-face assistance to some 4,000 victims of domestic violence/intimate partner abuse.

Tickets for the 8th annual Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon are $300 per person; $1,000 Patron; $3,500 Table Patron. Raffle tickets are $35 each or four for $100. Sponsorship opportunities are available. To participate in this event, please call 239-775-3862.

For more information on the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, please call 239-775-3862.

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The Shelter for Abused Women & Children helps adult and child victims and survivors of domestic violence through safety, intervention and support; educates the public about domestic violence; and advocates for social change against domestic violence. For more information, please contact us at 239-775-3862, or visit us online at: www.naplesshelter.org

Media Contact: Mary Ann T. Green, mgreen@naplesshelter.org, 239-775-3862, ext. 211