“An Evening with Ashley Judd” Marks 35 Years of Healing and Hope


Acclaimed actress, activist and humanitarian Ashley Judd will be in Houston this fall for a very special event. “An Evening with Ashley Judd” will take place on October 1st at the Junior League of Houston, benefiting Fort Bend Women’s Center. This year marks 35 years of providing healing and hope to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families.

Judd, who has most recently appeared in the Divergent movie series, is known for both box office hits and performances in independent films. However, when she is not making movies, Judd travels the world as part of her passion for public health. She is a Global Ambassador for Population Services International (PSI), chair of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project: Curbing Abuse, Expanding Expression and a member of the Leadership Council for the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

Judd holds an Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard Kennedy School. She won the Dean’s Scholar Award at Harvard Law School for her paper on gender violence, law and social justice. She regularly speaks on these and other social issues at international conferences and before organizations such as the United Nations.

Fort Bend Women’s Center, which was founded in 1980 as a crisis telephone line, has served over 40,000 survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault since its inception. Its current services include residential and non-residential programs, a dedicated support service for sexual assault survivors and an outreach and education program.

“We are honored to have this opportunity to work with Ashley,” said Fort Bend Women’s Center Executive Director Vita Goodell. “While many people know her diverse film and television roles, they may not know her incredible track record as an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am sure that her compassion and charisma will provide our guests with a truly inspirational and memorable evening.

“Our event is also an opportunity to reflect on our achievements over the last 35 years of working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children. More than that, it is also a chance to restate our commitment to working to break the cycle of domestic and sexual violence.”

“An Evening with Ashley Judd” is supported by Fort Bend Women’s Center Partners in Healing and Hope – PCCA and Balcom Agency. For more information, email Anne Budill at abudill@fortbendwomenscenter.org or call 281-344-5750.