The upcoming event, scheduled to take place at Washington, D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre, will also feature the presentation of CDF’s Marian Wright Edelman Advocate for Joy Award. This distinguished accolade is bestowed upon individuals and institutions that champion supportive policies, build community power, and strengthen programs designed to improve the lives of children and youth. The award is named in honor of CDF Founder and President Emerita Marian Wright Edelman, recognizing her decades of trailblazing leadership in the child advocacy movement.
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, CDF President and CEO, emphasized the profound significance of the gala and its highest honor.
“The Marian Wright Edelman Advocate for Joy Award is CDF’s highest honor, recognizing servant leaders whose advocacy and partnership have made a demonstrable difference in the lives of children, young people, and families,” said Rev. Dr. Wilson. “This year, the award has been renamed in honor of our Founder and President Emerita, Marian Wright Edelman.”
As part of the 2026 celebrations, the Children’s Defense Fund is proud to announce that Casey Family Programs will be honored as one of the award’s recipients. The nationwide organization stands as America’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care while concurrently improving the overall safety, health, and well-being of children.
Established six decades ago in 1966 by United Parcel Service founder Jim Casey, the Seattle-based organization has grown into a cornerstone of American child welfare reform. Today, the foundation is led by President and CEO William C. Bell, Ph.D. In his leadership role, Dr. Bell provides strategic direction for Casey Family Programs’ nine field offices located across the country and guides a dedicated staff that works directly with youth, families, and professionals within the public child welfare system.
The Children’s Defense Fund has structured the upcoming gala as a premier evening of recognition and community building. The National Celebration of Joy is slated for Thursday, November 5, 2026, opening with a formal dinner and program beginning at 7:00 p.m. The gathering will bring together prominent national advocates, community leaders, philanthropists, and youth champions at the historic Howard Theatre, located at 620 T Street NW in Washington, D.C.
Reflecting on the selection of this year’s honoree, Dr. Wilson praised Casey Family Programs for its visionary approach to child well-being and its decades-long, historic partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund, making the organization a uniquely fitting recipient of the newly renamed award.
“It is our privilege to honor Casey Family Programs as the first institutional recipient of the Marian Wright Edelman Award,” Dr. Wilson stated. “For 60 years, Casey Family Programs has been building Communities of Hope to ensure more children grow up safely at home. Working in all fifty states, their mission is to provide and improve — and ultimately prevent the need for — foster care. Casey Family Programs is one of CDF’s most enduring institutional partners in advocacy, thought leadership, investment, and a shared commitment.”
The partnership between CDF and Casey Family Programs reflects a shared dedication to addressing systemic challenges facing American youth. By combining CDF’s nationwide policy advocacy and grassroots community organizing with Casey Family Programs’ deep operational expertise and research in child welfare, the two organizations have worked for years to shift the national paradigm toward prevention, family support, and community-based solutions.
The Marian Wright Edelman Advocate for Joy Award highlights these collaborative efforts, underscoring the reality that lasting improvements in the lives of children and youth require enduring institutional commitment, strategic investments, and courageous leadership. As the Children’s Defense Fund prepares to welcome national leaders and advocates to the historic Howard Theatre in November, the recognition of Casey Family Programs serves as both a celebration of past achievements and a renewed call to action for the future of child advocacy in America.
