Robin Hood, one of the city's leading poverty-fighting organizations, today hosted the 18th annual Heroes Award Breakfast honoring three New Yorkers and The Georgetown Company for their unwavering commitment to improving the lives of under-privileged New Yorkers and the local community. The event was held for the third year at the Mandarin Oriental New York.

Each year, recipients of the Heroes Awards are presented with a grant for $50,000. This year's recipients were the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW) and the Legal Aid Society for Single Stop. In addition, The Georgetown Company was recognized for their pro-bono work for the development of two new charter high schools in the city.

Presenters for the 2007 Heroes Awards were Paul Jones, John Sykes, Tom Brokaw, Tiki Barber and Dee Dee Ricks.

"It is a great honor to present the 2007 Heroes awards to this inspiring group of individuals and I thank them for their dedication, commitment and unfailing belief that we can all make a difference," said Bob Pittman, chair of Robin Hood's Board of Directors and host of the Heroes Breakfast.

Robin Hood is honored to present the following organizations with the 2007 Heroes awards as well as recognize the work of The Georgetown Company. Additional information about each of the honorees and award recipients is outlined below.

Dr. Harold Freeman, Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention
Dr. Harold Freeman is quite literally responsible for raising the cancer survival rate in Harlem. In 1967, Dr. Freeman was a young cancer surgeon when he came to work at Harlem Hospital. After arriving, he witnessed first hand the startling statistic that the five year survival rate for women in Harlem with breast cancer was 30 percent. At that same time, in white or wealthier communities it was 70 percent. To aid in correcting this imbalance, Dr. Freeman established the Breast Examination Center of Harlem. Shortly thereafter, he became President of the American Cancer Society and the chief architect of the Cancer Society’s initiative on Cancer in the Poor. In 1990, that effort led to Dr. Freeman creating "patient navigation" which is now taking root in hospitals and clinics around the world. Today, the survival rate for breast cancer in Harlem stands at 70 percent.

Rochelle James, Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW)
For many of the poor women in New York, most of Rochelle James' story will sound all too familiar. Her fiancé was murdered shortly before they were to be married and she spent 10 years on and off welfare as a single mom. She later became a victim of domestic violence and barely escaped with her life. However, because of NEW her story has taken a brighter turn. Rochelle now has her own home and works as an electrician making $47 an hour. NEW is one of Robin Hood's most powerful anti-poverty investments, helping 400 New York City women a year to achieve economic self-sufficiency by training them for union-scale apprenticeships—turning them into carpenters, electricians and construction workers. Not to mention breadwinners and role models. Rochelle's son is trying to follow her footsteps into the union. Her second child, a daughter, is in the Robin Hood-supported school, Leadership Prep.

Marshall Green, Legal Aid Society
Robin Hood operates 40 Single Stop sites in the five boroughs helping 20,000 New York City families per year access benefits, meet with financial counselors, file for the EITC, and receive legal assistance all for free, and all in one convenient location. Marshall Green from the Legal Aid Society has been an attorney for 32 years, and has been instrumental in launching and running Single Stop's legal assistance. To put that in real terms—there are thousands of people who have been evicted from their homes, been fighting custody battles, and/or been bankrupt by medical bills who have been helped by Marshall (in six languages). In 2006 alone, nearly 6,000 families received legal assistance and more than 5,000 of those cases had successful outcomes. In 32 years of often frustrating cases, Marshall has not lost his passion or become jaded and still relishes each triumph for his clients.

Marshall Rose, Adam Flatto and Joe Rose, The Georgetown Company
Eighteen months ago, Robin Hood set out to fill a need in New York: there was no high school in the city for middle-school graduates of three top charter-management networks, and not enough scholarships to get them into private schools that would prepare them for a college education. Through the generosity of donors, matching grants from the Department of Education and new market tax credits, Robin Hood raised enough to build two high schools. To bring this plan to fruition, Robin Hood required the assistance of a skilled and dogged group of professionals—New York City real estate is not for the faint of heart. The Georgetown Company is making this dream a reality. In recognition of the amazing and voluminous pro bono work they've provided for the on-going planning and development of these high schools, Robin Hood honored The Georgetown Company and in particular, Marshall Rose and Adam Flatto and Joe Rose.