Your Town- Safe Horizons By KathleenGiordano

Over 400 guests attended Safe Horizon's comedy event fundraiser "In Our Own Words: No Laughing Matter" held at B.B. King Blues & Grill on 42nd Street in Times Square, on Thursday, November 10. Guests were treated to cocktails in the Lucille Room, silent and live auction and a sumptuous finger licking BBQ feast of chicken, ribs, collard greens, sweet potato fries, mac 'n' cheese and corn bread. Bloomberg was the presenting sponsor with additional sponsors being The Comedy Cellar, Barefoot Wine and Boru Vodka. Safe Horizon is the nation's leading provider of services for victims of violence. Located in New York City and serves over 350,000 people affected by crime and abuse each year. The event raised over $400,000. Comedian and funny man Chris Rock who attended, with his beautiful wife and event co-chair Malaak Compton-Rock, is no stranger to violence. Growing up in Brooklyn he was repeatedly beaten up at the all-white school he attended. When the violence became intolerable, Rock tried to make everyone laugh. "Comedy is the blues for people who can't sing." says Rock. Other comedians who lent their immeasurable talent and support included Nick DiPaolo, Adam Ferrara, Lynne Koplitz, Colin Quinn, Sherrod Small, Wanda Sykes and Rich Vos. "The ability to glimpse humor through the pain of abuse is a gift that helps to empower," says Gordon J. Campbell, CEO of Safe Horizon. "Whether through laughter or tears, Safe Horizon encourages victims to regain hope by sharing their experience in their own words. In our own Words breathes life into that promise: by donating their time and their words, these performers help us help survivors find their own words." Joy Behar, Margaret Cho, Ellen DeGeneres, Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, Garry Shandling, Cedric the Entertainer and David Spade were among the comics who lent their support and made up the Honorary Comics' Circle. Other guests included actress and board member Stephanie March and husband Bobby Flay, author and Sex Crimes Prosecutor Linda Fairstein, Brooke McMurray, Jose Raul Perez, Neil Rubler, Jane Randel, Steve and Diane Parrish, Luigi Tadini and many many others. Safe Horizon has been at the forefront of helping victims for over a quarter of a century. More than 200,000 victims of crime and abuse call Safe Horizon's four 24-hour hotlines each year. Some of the services being offered by Safe Horizon include crisis intervention and safety planning, education and information, advocacy, emotional support and counseling to the needs of not only victims but also the families as well