Celebrity Comes to the IE

Taylor Schilling is best known for her role as Piper Chapman on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black, where she portrays a woman in her 30s sentenced to prison for felony drug charges. Her role vividly captures the real lives of women who are trapped behind bars and their struggles to reclaim their freedom. According to The Sentencing Project the number of women in prison, a third of whom are incarcerated for drug offenses, is increasing at nearly double the rate for men. These women often have significant histories of physical and sexual abuse, high rates of HIV infection, and substance abuse. Large-scale women's imprisonment has resulted in an increasing number of children who suffer from their mother's incarceration and the loss of family ties. In 1980 there were 13,258 women incarcerated and in 2013 that number had skyrocketed to 104,134. "Taylor Schilling is being recognized for using her star power to shed light on one of the most important social issues of our time," says Kim Carter, 2015 CNN Hero who knows all too well the realities of being imprisoned. Time for Change Foundation, a non-profit founded by Kim Carter, currently assists women re-entering society from incarceration as well as helping homeless women and children reach self-sufficiency. To date the organization has assisted over 850 women reclaim their lives. On April 15, 2016, Taylor Schilling is slated to receive the prestigious "Acting for Change Award" at the 13th Annual Star Studded Awards Gala being held in Ontario, California. Other Award Honorees include: Kim & Tommy Morrow with the Hometown Media Heroes Award, Dr. Tomás D. Morales with the Community Education Champion Award, SB Strong First Responders with the Ramos Family Spirit of Compassion Award, the Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire & the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with the Community Chamber Champions Award, Dr. Dale Marsden & Dr. Harold Vollkommer with the Public Education Dynamic Duo Award, Caliber Collision with the Community Business Leader of the Year Award, Alaina Mathews with the Humanitarian of the Year Award, Senator Connie Leyva with the Public Service Champion Award, and Manal Iskander with the Community Champion Award. Time for Change Foundation's 13th Annual Star Studded Awards Gala will take place on Friday April 15, 2016 at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Ontario, CA from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. To support TFCF's efforts to help homeless women and children become self-sufficient you can become a sponsor, purchase an ad in the event program book or purchase a Gala ticket. To purchase tickets for the event or to become a sponsor and increase your business' visibility in the community, please visit our website www.TimeForChangeFoundation.org or contact Vanessa Perez at (909) 886-2994 or by email at vperez@timeforchangefoundation.org.