Friendly House Sets Honorees for Milestone 75th Anniversary Awards Luncheon

Friendly House is finalizing the roster for its milestone 75th anniversary awards luncheon.

Set to take place at Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Oct. 17, the event will honor a list of distinguished guests including veteran comedian Margaret Cho, singer Morgan Wade, activist and author Mary Fisher, VI Peel president and CEO Marya Khalil-Otto, Blackburn Clinical Services CEO Nadea Egan, therapist and president and founder of Gender Wellness Los Angeles Casey Weitzman and therapist and Gender Wellness Los Angeles vp Grace O’Connor.

Cho is set to receive an humanitarian of the year award; Wade, who will also perform with a special guest, has been tapped for a shining star award; Khalil-Otto will be honored as trailblazer of the year; Fisher will take home a woman of the year trophy; Egan will be feted with an unsung hero award; and Weitzman and O’Connor will be presented with an excellence in service award.

The event program will be hosted by Good Day LA anchor Brooke Thomas and features a DJ set by Katie Otro. Additional guests expected at the event include presenter and onetime honoree Dina LaPolt, Friendly House board president and presenter Zan Eisley, Friendly House executive director Christina Simos and more than 450 others. Greg Sowders and Katherine Wentworth are serving as co-chairs of the luncheon while Erica Zodtner has been tapped as silent auction chair.

The luncheon is designed to celebrate individuals who have triumphed over addiction. The event, which raises funds to support the cause, will be produced by Tony winner Scott Mauro Entertainment Inc.

Established in 1951, Friendly House has been on the front lines as a residential recovery program helping women recover from alcohol and substance abuse. The organization, which previously expanded its footprint by launching an intensive outpatient program in Culver City, operates with a 12-step-based program structured to help clients reclaim their “dignity and acquire the knowledge, skills, support and resources needed to maintain a purposeful and productive life.”