SOLEDAD OBRIEN & BRAD RAYMOND’S STARFISH FOUNDATION HOST A WEEKEND OF EVENTS

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Soledad OBrien and Brad Raymond

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Soledad OBrien and Bevy Smith

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Ubah Hassan

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Soledad OBrien and Mindy Grossman

Award-winning Journalist Soledad OBrien along with her husband Brad Raymond hosted the annual fundraising event, “New Orleans to New York City Gala,” with guests Bevy Smith, Ubah Hassan, Geoffrey Fletcher and more. The celebration was the biggest night of the year for the Starfish Foundation, created to provide promising young women a bridge between obstacles and opportunities. Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception followed by the evening’s festivities which included a special music performance by members of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

The Starfish Foundation Industry Roundtable Powered by Build N Blaze gave Starfish scholars a behind the scenes look inside running the Home Shopping Network (HSN). HSN CEO Mindy Grossman was on site for a Q&A with Soledad OBrien and to take the young women scholars through a day in the life at the network.

ABOUT THE STARFISH FOUNDATION: After witnessing the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2006, OBrien and Raymond began privately awarding scholarships to young women who didn’t have the resources for success. As their efforts grew, they officially formed the Starfish Foundation to expand their reach and help even more young women. Today the Starfish Foundation provides scholarships to disadvantaged young women in under-served communities and is committed to giving more than just financial assistance to its scholarship honorees. The Foundation creates a customized support program for each participant that reflects that person’s specific needs.