Enjoy a special afternoon to support Florence Crittenton's mission of providing safety, hope and opportunity to every girl whose life we touch. The 9th Annual Teaming Up for Kids Luncheon promises to be an engaging event that will positively affect the lives of thousands of girls in our community.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Bill Walton, NBA Legend

One of the NBA’s 50 all-time greatest players, Bill Walton shares his inspiring lessons learned through a brilliant career, his focus on teamwork and ability to
overcome adversity.

A basketball superstar and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Bill Walton made sports history playing for UCLA when he led the team to two NCAA championships and a record 88-game winning streak. Walton played under the famed tutelage of John Wooden, who coached “character” and “giving your best” first. Winning was never mentioned in the locker room – lessons that stuck with Walton throughout his career. After college, he played on NBA championship teams – the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics – and has received innumerable awards, including citations for his humanitarian and leadership contributors. Mixing comic anecdotes with practical steps toward achievement, Walton inspires audiences to reach their goals through dedication, perseverance, flexibility and teamwork. An Emmy Award-winning basketball analyst formerly with ABC and ESPN, he has made cameo appearances in such iconic feature films as He’s Got Game and Ghostbusters and is the author of Nothing But Net.

2011 HOPE AWARD RECIPIENT:
Gerda Weissmann Klein

Gerda Weissmann Klein enjoyed a typical, happy childhood in her hometown in southern Poland. Then
her life forever changed when German soldiers invaded in September 1939. Separated from her family in 1942, Gerda was sent to a forced-labor camp. Three years later, she and other prisoners were led on a death march when she was freed by a Jewish-American lieutenant named Kurt Klein, who eventually became
her husband.

As a survivor of the Holocaust, Gerda has used her experiences to help young people understand the
world and translate that understanding into positive actions. Her foundation promotes tolerance for differences, respect for others and the empowerment of students through education
and community service.

Gerda also has written several books about her experiences. Her autobiography, All But My Life, provided the basis for the 1995 Academy Award®-winning documentary short film, One Survivor Remembers.

The embodiment of safety, hope and opportunity, Gerda has dedicated her life to making the world a more positive place for children and empowering them to stand up to intolerance, prejudice and other issues that affect young people.

EMCEE: Tara Hitchcock, Anchor/Host
of 3TV's Good Morning Arizona

Tara Hitchcock is the anchor/host of the highly rated "Good Morning Arizona" news program that airs each weekday from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. MST
on 3TV.

Hitchcock received her BA degree in political science and communications in 1991 from Boston College, where she made the Dean's List. She received her master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

While an undergraduate and during her years in graduate school, Hitchcock was very active in news reporting as an intern for TV programs such as Meet the Press in Washington, D.C., as well as other television news programs in Boston and New York City. She participated in a number of media workshops, received awards in public speaking competitions, performed volunteer duties and was one of 30 students at Boston College chosen to tour the Soviet Union in 1990.