For Immediate Release: 12/6/07

Naples, FL – The Shelter for Abused Women & Children’s 2008 Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon, presented by the Shelter Guild on Friday, February 29, 2008, at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, will feature best-selling crime novelist and former prosecutor Linda Fairstein, as well as an exclusive ‘Designers’ Boutique at The Ritz’, held both Friday and Saturday, February 29 and March 1, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 “The Boutique is just another way for the community to support the life-saving services the Shelter provides, to thousands of domestic violence victims and survivors, as well as medical professionals and the like, each year,” explains event chair JoAnn Remington.

The Designers’ Boutique, taking place both Friday and Saturday, February 29 and March 1, 2008, includes 18 established vendors, including Nina McLemore, Anita Ford Collection, Joan McGee, Lalo Fine Leather Handbags, Itz a Stitch, Designs by Sandra, Walker Antiques and more! (No admission for Boutique and complimentary parking is available both days).

The luncheon itself, taking place Friday, February 29, starting at 11 a.m., benefits the Shelter for Abused Women & Children’s programs and services and includes a silent auction, a raffle and keynote address by one of America’s foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children, former Manhattan Prosecutor and best-selling crime novelist Linda Fairstein.

As the Bureau Chief of the pioneering Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, New York County District Attorney’s Office, Fairstein 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.

Fairstein addresses intimate partner violence and related life-and-death issues not only during speaking engagements, but also through her novels. 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.

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 700 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 19,400 individuals each year, including face-to-face assistance to some 4,000 women and children 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. Individuals need not be present to win; winners will be notified. For details, please call 239-775-3862.

For more information on the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, our programs and services, please call 239-775-3862, or visit www.naplesshelter.org

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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 Contacts:

Tracy Southers, tracy@wordplayinc.com, 239-936-1903

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