28th Annual Colleagues Spring Luncheon Will Honor Roma Downey

The 28TH Annual Colleagues Spring Luncheon and Oscar de la Renta will honor Emmy nominated actress and producer Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel," "The Bible") with The Colleagues Champion of Children Award, which honors those who have made a lasting impact on the lives of children. Actress Angie Harmon will be the Master of Ceremonies at the luncheon which benefits the Children's Institute, Inc (CII).

The luncheon will take place at 11:00 am on Tuesday, April 26th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and will include a fashion show from Oscar de la Renta's Fall 2016 collection designed by Peter Copping. The luncheon is sponsored by iconic jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels.

Downey joins an impressive list of prior Champion of Children Award recipients including former First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Betty Ford and Laura Bush and her two daughters Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush-Hager, Princess Charlene of Monaco, James and Gloria Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Anjelica Huston and Robert Graham, California First Lady Maria Shriver, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, Wolfgang and Gelila Puck, Oscar de la Renta, and Sherry Lansing.

A celebrated Emmy nominated actress and producer, Roma Downey is best known for her nine seasons as the tender-hearted angel on the hit CBS television show "Touched by an Angel" which earned her multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Best Actress nominations. Downey presently serves as President of LightWorkers Media, the faith and family division of MGM Television and also serves as the chief content officer for the planned OTT channel. Together with her husband, Mark Burnett, they've produced the Emmy nominated miniseries, "The Bible," "Son of God" and "A.D. The Bible Continues." They recently produced a reimagining of the classic film "Ben Hur" which is set to hit theaters this coming summer. Variety has named Downey as one of the industry's "100 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood."

Founded in 1950, The Colleagues, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, are a group of 65 active women and over 25 sustaining members who volunteer their time and expertise to support and raise funds for their sole beneficiary, the Children's Institute, Inc. In their efforts to serve Los Angeles' most vulnerable children harmed by community and family violence, abuse and neglect, the Colleagues have donated over $25 million to CII through their high-end resale and vintage clothing shop and their annual spring luncheon. In addition to direct services, CII reaches more children through professional training, research and other leadership activities working with more than 24,000 children and families each year. To learn more about the Colleagues and CII, please visit http://www.thecolleagues.com/ and www.childrensinstitute.org.

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