LOS ANGELES

 

Time flies.  At least that is what it felt like attending the Victoria Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan (RFCPP), 2008 High Tea at Noon fundraiser in honor of foster care children nationwide for yet another year.  The special event this year, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, featured Chris Schauble the weekday co-anchor of the NBC4 early morning news show "Today in LA", Angela Bassett, actress: Patricia Underwood, hat designer; Rowell's fiancé Radcliffe Bailey, world-renowned artist; and Stephanie Mills, recording artist. 

RFCPP is an organization founded by Rowell that provides structure, support and encouragement for foster youth through a variety of enrichment programs. The organization provides full scholarships to foster youth for fine arts, sports and summer camps and offers job placement for emancipated foster youth.

Victoria Rowell and Captain Barrington Irving

This year's honorees of the Agatha Award named after Rowell's primary foster mother, Agatha C. Wooten Armstead were Oscar winner Morgan Freeman and his wife Myrna Colley Lee.  Although everyone knows the legendary work that Freeman has done, especially with his instantly recognizable voice, its his wife's impressive  creativity as a noted costume designer that caught the audience's eyes. 

Lee is a remarkable woman and in addition to being a costume designer for theatre, she has been Art Director and Set Designer for film and television productions, holding faculty and staff positions in design at Smith College, The Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival, and at the Design and Management Institute of the National Arts Consortium in New York. 

This year Rowell added another award. The "Soar to Inspire Award" which was received by Florida's 24-year old Captain Barrington Irving who last year on June 27, 2007 secured his place in history as the first Black pilot and youngest person ever to fly solo around the globe. 

He flew 30,000 miles in a single engine aircraft on a 97-day journey.  In December 2007 on Capitol Hill, the US House of Representatives passed a Congressional Resolution honoring Barrington's achievement and acknowledging his pioneering work in the field of aviation education. 

Stephanie Mills singing her heart out.

The highlight of the afternoon was Stephanie Mills with her amazing vocal gift.  Mills sang a few of her legendary signature tunes, which included "Home" from her Broadway performance in "The Wiz".   

Rowell, who has been recognized for her contributions in education and supporting foster youth, is also a New York Times bestselling author.  Her memoir "The Women Who Raised Me" is now available in paperback.  The memoir is a tribute not only to the amazing women who cared for Rowell when her birth mother could not, but to the foster system that brought them into her life.