Daphna Ziman: Children Uniting Nations 2013 Awards Celebration and Viewing Dinner
Daphna Ziman: Children Uniting Nations 2013 Awards Celebration and Viewing Dinner
Written by
Aaron Robinson
Kind, loving and caring are some of the words
that describe leading woman in the entertainment industry, Daphna Ziman, who
has been the driving force behind the success of companies such as Cinemoi
North America LLC., Unicorn Records and founder of her Los Angeles based
organization Children Uniting Nations (CUN). She has utilized her organization
to help save the lives of at-risk and foster youth.
During a recent interview, I had the
opportunity to speak with her in regards to the Children Uniting Nations 2013
Awards Celebration and Viewing Dinner, as well as the significant contribution that
she has provided for our youth throughout the country. “I’m very excited that
we are helping thousands of foster kids. We feel like we are actually helping
children that have been abused, neglected and abandoned.”
Over the past decade CUN has received the support
of various celebrities and congressional leaders throughout the country, as
they have taken on a role to mentor and guide at-risk foster youth in sports,
academics and life mentoring. While continuing to expand her organization to
help children, Ziman elaborates on what she finds most rewarding. “You know,
when a child is born we gather in the miracle of creation. We wait to look into
this child’s eyes, and when those child’s eyes open we see the hope of the
world. The most exciting things for
me is when I see hope in the eyes of children.”
While living in an unforgiving environment,
sometimes situations that occur in the life of at-risk youth can be
devastating, leaving a child without a voice.
As an author of The Gray Zone, inspired by Ziman rescuing her soon to be
daughter from a homeless shelter, Ziman talks about the beginning stages of the
healing process of a child after they’ve endured horrific conditions. “Well,
you know first of all, it’s a community issue because [a large percentage] of
all inmates in the penitentiary come from the child welfare system. Instead of
helping children and educating them, supporting them into becoming contributing
citizens, we tend to turn our back onto those children who have already been
hurt, abused and abandoned by the wrong parents.” Ziman speaks on the
importance of helping a child. “So, the most important thing to do is to start
recognizing that they are children who are our future that has no one. Every
single person has to start reaching out and helping one child…somebody….one
caring adult who can focus on them and help them, and be there for them. When
in life, everyone has a social responsibility and that responsibility would be
greater if everyone looked after a child.”
Honoring individuals, it seems as though it
could be a difficult choice to make. However, it’s not complicated to do when
individuals are doing amazing things from their heart. During the Children
Uniting Nations 2013 Awards Celebration and Viewing Dinner, Isiah Thomas,
Roderick Sherwood and Marvin Markowitz are honored. “Isiah Thomas is a major
Hall of Fame basketball player and spending his life focusing on these very
children in the community. We’re proud of the fact that someone like him goes
back and helps other children to become successful in whatever their talents
are. But also the fact he’s just not talking about himself, he’s thinking about
our future because our future is our children. Rod Sherwood, who was a major in
Wall Street and somebody who really knows how to run major companies, and for
him to take time to help a charity that helps children that’s the kind of
intention we want to see. And Marvin Markowitz, he owns many businesses, restaurants
and deli’s. Every year he comes to the Day of the Child and he literally feeds
thousands of children’s. These children never get out like we do to
restaurants, so the idea that someone is there for them to make their day
special and feed them, makes everything that they don’t necessarily get every
day, you know, it takes a very special person to do that. To focus on that does
says “thank you!”
Last year Metta World Peace was presented
the Humanitarian Award for his outstanding achievements. Verbalizing on
purpose, Ziman takes center stage. “I would like people to leave there
understanding it’s their responsibility to at least help one child, to have
somebody in their life who cares about them. I think every year we need to
think about those children that have very much the same talents or better, who
may never get that chance to participate in Hollywood, because they don’t have
access and they are even afraid to dream. Could you image if everyone was
afraid to dream? There wouldn’t be anyone receiving any awards. Our children
are afraid to dream because of the hopelessness that they are surrounded by,” she
explains immensely. The 2013 Awards Celebration and viewing Dinner presented an
immaculate roster of guests who were in support of the betterment of the youth.
Also, Ziman has been a success in the film
industry as a writer, producer and director, as her track record includes
developing multiple films for CBS and so on. Diligent and persistent with her
belief, she eventually becomes known throughout Hollywood, as well as
internationally known. “I’m just proud of Hollywood for focusing on those
movies and yester year that may have been called independent type of movies,
and for celebrating those people that are courageous enough to take issues and
stories that would not have been considered in Hollywood. So when you see
movies that actually mean something and you see that Hollywood has allowed
people into an arena that focuses of quality again, then there’s a lot to
celebrate,” happily says Ziman.
Read Daphna Ziman interview @ http://www.consciousnessmagazine.com/DaphnaZiman.html
Photo by Kevin Jones
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