The fifth annual Samantha’s PRIDE Awards saw a local family, a school district and six individuals honored at the Fairmont Hotel, Newport Beach.

The Joyful Child Foundation, presented the awards, recognizing significant impact in raising awareness of, and protecting children from, child sexual abuse and abduction on a local, regional and national level.

The 2010 awardees are

• Geoffrey Fletcher
• John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou
• Henry Nicholas and his mother Marcella Leach
• the Westminster School District
• Los Angeles Police Detective Kevin Coffey
• Ravsten Family of Stanton

The Joyful Child Foundation is a non-profit founded in 2002 by Erin Runnion after the abduction, molestation and murder of her five-year old daughter, Samantha. The foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of child sexual abuse and abduction and facilitating proactive community efforts to stop these crimes against children.

The Samantha’s Legacy Award was presented to Geoffrey Fletcher, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Precious” (Best Adapted Screenplay), for bringing national or international awareness to crimes against children.

“Precious,” based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, is the story of an obese, teenage outsider impregnated by her father and abused by her mother. “Precious” also received the top jury and audience awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival. Fletcher is an adjunct film professor at Columbia University and New York University.

“Champions for Children” Honored at Fifth Annual Samantha’s Pride Awards

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