Friends of the Rape Treatment Center (RTC) at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center gathered to celebrate its 50th anniversary on October 27, 2024, at the Skirball Cultural Center. The event also raised crucial funds for the RTC and Stuart House, the latter of which provides care for sexually abused children and their families.
Chair of the Rape Treatment Center Advisory Board Paige Adams-Geller opened the program by welcoming attendees and introducing special guest Connie Britton, an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress. Britton focused her remarks on the RTC’s role in changing the cultural narrative around rape and sexual assault. She noted Rape Treatment Center founder Gail Abarbanel’s work with legendary television producer Norman Lear to bring awareness of sexual violence to millions of Americans.
Britton concluded with an inspiring call to action: “As we enter into our next 50 years of transformative work, let’s join together to get the word out so everyone knows that this incredible place exists and is available, and so that no one ever has to be marginalized, isolated and alone in the horror of sexual assault again.”
Johnese Spisso, MPA, president of UCLA Health, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences, followed Britton, thanking attendees and acknowledging Abarbanel’s long-time service to survivors of sexual violence. She also reaffirmed UCLA Health’s commitment to the RTC and Stuart House. Said Spisso, “We will continue to uphold the transformative legacies of these programs, ensuring that everyone in our community has access to preeminent care for sexual assault.”
Spisso introduced Dr. Jane Halladay Goldman, director of the Rape Treatment Center and Stuart House. Dr. Halladay Goldman, who began her career as a receptionist at Stuart House, reflected on the progress the RTC has made over the past five decades. She detailed the program’s close partnerships with law enforcement to help victims achieve justice and government agencies to shape policy related to sexual violence. Leaders in both of these spheres were in attendance, including Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath.
Other speakers included special guests Saffron Burrows and Melina Kanakarades; Mimi Morningstar, senior director of development of the Rape Treatment Center; and Eula Smith, vice chair of the Rape Treatment Center Advisory Board. They described how the RTC and Stuart House have changed the trajectories of victims’ lives, from individual care to legal advocacy.
Adams-Geller again took the stage toward the end of the program to tell her own story of sexual assault and how the RTC supported and empowered her during a difficult time. She described her relationship with Jane Willens, a tennis star turned social worker, who devoted her entire counseling career to survivors of rape and sexual assault.
Willens passed away unexpectedly in December 2023. To honor her memory, the RTC established the Jane Willens Award to recognize extraordinary acts of service in the community. Beth Cranston, legal counsel for the Rape Treatment Center, presented the inaugural award to Darrell Preston. Preston, a restaurant owner, provided key evidence in a high-profile rape and murder case that happened along the Venice canals in 2024. Mary Klein, the surviving victim of the crime, joined Preston on stage in an emotional moment.
To end the day on an upbeat note, attendees pledged their support in a live fundraiser. The event was a success, bringing in more than $1 million for RTC and Stuart House programs.
For more information, contact Mimi Morningstar at: 310-770-2888
Allie McFarland is a senior writer for UCLA Health Sciences Development.
