WASHINGTON, D.C. — In November 2026, the national advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) will host its highly anticipated “A National Celebration of Joy,” a premier gala established to honor prominent changemakers, dedicated youth advocates, and the enduring partnerships that drive the organization’s ongoing mission for children and youth across the United States.
The prestigious event, set to take place at Washington, D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre, will feature the presentation of CDF’s highest distinction: the Marian Wright Edelman Advocate for Joy Award. This esteemed accolade is presented annually to extraordinary individuals and pioneering institutions that champion vital policies, build robust community power, and strengthen programs designed to drastically improve the lives of children and youth. Notably, the award bears the name of Marian Wright Edelman, the visionary founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund, celebrating her decades-long legacy of relentless child advocacy.
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, the President and CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund, emphasized the profound significance of the gala’s central 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 Dr. Wilson. “This year, the award has been renamed in honor of our Founder and President Emerita, Marian Wright Edelman.”
As part of this year’s celebrations, CDF is proud to announce that Casey Family Programs will be honored as one of the distinguished recipients of the award. Casey Family Programs is widely recognized as the nation’s largest operating foundation focused comprehensively on safely reducing the need for foster care while simultaneously improving the overall safety, health, and long-term well-being of children throughout the country.
Established nearly six decades ago in 1966 by United Parcel Service (UPS) founder Jim Casey, the Seattle-based operating foundation has grown into a cornerstone of American child welfare advocacy and practice. Today, the organization is led by President and CEO William C. Bell, Ph.D. Under Dr. Bell’s strategic direction, Casey Family Programs oversees nine dedicated field offices and leads a passionate, hands-on staff that works directly with vulnerable youth, families, and professionals embedded within the public child welfare system.
Dr. Wilson praised Casey Family Programs not only for its visionary approach to child well-being but also for its historic, decades-long partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund, making the foundation a uniquely fitting recipient of the inaugural institutional honor bearing Marian Wright Edelman’s name.
“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 upcoming gala promises to bring together leaders from across the nation to celebrate these shared milestones and to recommit to the collective work required to ensure that every child has a healthy, safe, fair, and hopeful start in life.
Event Details:
What: National Celebration of Joy
When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 | Dinner and Program beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Historic Howard Theatre, 620 T Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
For more information regarding the National Celebration of Joy, tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or the ongoing work of the Children’s Defense Fund, interested parties may visit the official CDF website or contact CDF Media Relations Manager John Henry directly via email at [email protected] or by phone at 708-646-7679.
