Childhelp Co-Founder Sara O'Meara to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Place of Hope

PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sara O’Meara, co-founder of Childhelp, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Place of Hope during “A Moment in Time,” a celebration marking the organization’s 25 years of commitment to protecting the vulnerable, healing the broken, and restoring hope for children and families.

The award ceremony will take place Friday, February 27 at 6 p.m. at Mar-a-Lago, a venue that frequently hosts charitable events and has supported numerous philanthropic causes.

Since 1959, O’Meara and Co-Founder Yvonne Fedderson helped grow Childhelp from a grassroots effort into one of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, providing advocacy, prevention education, intervention, foster care and adoption, residential treatment, and operating the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline to support children and families across the country.

Place of Hope, known for its innovative model of providing stable housing, education, counseling, and life-skills support to children and families in crisis, has developed programs that align closely with Childhelp’s mission to prevent and treat child abuse nationwide.

“Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson’s life’s work has changed the trajectory for millions of children and families. Her leadership and compassion have inspired organizations nationwide, including ours, and we are proud to honor her contributions while continuing to build partnerships that expand care and opportunity for vulnerable children,” says Place of Hope Vice President of Advancement Gina Franano.

“We are especially grateful to Founder and CEO Charles Bender and those who helped make this recognition possible, including Congressman Andy Biggs and Cindy Biggs, Robin Friedman, Marla Paxson, Rosevelt Rawls, Shurlin Rawls, and the dedicated Place of Hope team,” added Franano.

As part of its growing partnership, Childhelp plans to explore opportunities to expand programming informed by Place of Hope’s successful approaches to family support, transitional services, and community-based care, strengthening both organizations’ ability to serve vulnerable populations.

“Children deserve safe, loving environments and access to services that help them build hopeful futures,” O’Meara says. “This recognition belongs to the countless professionals, volunteers, donors, and partners who dedicate their lives to protecting children every day.”

The evening will celebrate a shared commitment among organizations and communities to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up safe, supported, and loved.

About Childhelp: Founded by Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson in 1959, Childhelp® has brought the light of hope and healing into the lives of more than 14 million children as a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abused, neglected and at-risk children. Childhelp’s programs and services include residential treatment services, children’s advocacy centers, therapeutic foster care, group homes and child abuse prevention, education and training. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline serves children and adults nationwide 24/7 through phone, text and online chat. For more information, visit childhelp.org and follow Childhelp at facebook.com/childhelp , Instagram.com/childhelp.