The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) announced today the 2018 Voices Rising Award Recipients, who will be honored for their contributions towards raising the voices of victims and survivors and the creation of a culture where domestic violence is not tolerated. Awardees include Ineabelle Geena Cruz (Survivor Activist Award), Rosie Hidalgo (Policy Change Award), Nancy Provost on behalf of the Family Violence Project (Media Award), and Gwen Wright(Lifetime Impact Award). Awards will be presented at NCADV's 40th Anniversary Ruby Jubilee Gala on Monday, September 24th, 2018 in Providence, Rhode Island.

"We are so honored to recognize these recipients for our fourth year of celebrating those who have made great impact on the issue of the domestic violence," said Ruth M. Glenn, President/CEO of NCADV. "These remarkable people have demonstrated time and again their commitment to, and most importantly their hard work of, addressing domestic violence and other forms of violence against women. They are dedicated and fierce in their efforts, from very different perspectives and strategies, to making a difference and raising their voices! I applaud each of them and the other many worthy nominees of our awards."

Voices Rising marks the 17th national domestic violence conference NCADV has hosted over the past 35 years and is known for its cutting-edge content and survivor-centric focus. The 2018 conference will focus on how advocates do the work in the domestic violence field. The conference is intentional in that it is convened to delve deeper into the causes of violence and its impact and effect on individuals, communities and our nation. Voices Rising will also highlight how constituents can continue to use their voices to catalyze change.

Ineabelle Geena Cruz (Voices Rising Survivor Activist Award)

NCADV is honoring Ms. Cruz for being a voice for victims and survivors and creating a culture where domestic violence is not tolerated, demonstrated by her long track-record of community activism: such as her collaboration with Continental Beauty School on an initiative called "Cut It Out" to bring awareness to barbers and beauty salons on domestic violence; or her work with Greater Rochester's RESOLVE program on dating violence and stalker awareness in urban and suburban schools. She has fought for victims that are often underserved in the Hispanic, African-American, migrant, immigrant and disabled communities. Her nominator said: "We are a better place directly because of her."

Rosie Hidalgo (Voices Rising Policy Change Award)

NCADV is honoring Ms. Hidalgo's ability to lift up the voices of victims and survivors and improve their access to safety, justice, and well-being, particularly immigrant survivors and those from marginalized communities. Currently, she is the Senior Director of Public Policy for Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities, a national domestic violence resource center with a focus on providing training, research, and policy advocacy. Ms. Hidalgo previously served as the Deputy Director for Policy at the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). She championed the need to protect all survivors and improve protections and access to resources for marginalized communities in the reauthorization of VAWA. Her nominator said, "Her advocacy extends beyond lobbying to projects designed to change not only system responses but also the social and cultural factors that keep immigrant victims and survivors in the shadows."

Nancy Provost of the Family Violence Project (Voices Rising Media Award)

NCADV is honoring Nancy Provost of the Family Violence Project for her groundbreaking work on a film spotlighting the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ survivors called We See You. The goal is to use the film as a voice for victims, especially those whose gender identities and sexual orientations lead them to feel invisible. Her nominator said: "We have heard from members of the LGBTQIA community that this work has created a safety net and connection to resources they otherwise had not known were there for them."

Gwen Wright (Voices Rising Lifetime Impact Award)

NCADV is honoring Ms. Wright's sustained dedication to creating lasting social and cultural change, dating back to the mid 1980's when she was a member of the NCADV Steering Committee. In 2013, Governor Cuomo appointed Gwen Wright as Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), the nation's only executive-level agency solely dedicated to improving the state's response to and prevention of domestic violence. Ms. Wright has worked at OPDV for more than 25 years, and under her leadership OPDV has developed essential initiatives including the NYS Domestic Violence and the Workplace policy, which was required by Executive Order in 2007 and the NYS Fatality Review Team in 2012. She has served as a voice of hope for victims and their families by appearing as a keynote speaker at countless events across the state. Her nominator said: "Ms. Wright's life and work not only inspire me as a public servant, but as a woman, and as a human being."

About National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is the voice of victims and survivors and works as the catalyst for changing society to have zero tolerance for domestic violence. NCADV does this by affecting public policy, increasing understanding of the impact of domestic violence, and providing programs and education that drive change. For more information about NCADV, visit www.ncadv.org and follow us at @NCADV.