TURN ON THE LIGHT
Our signature annual event.
Every year at our Turn on the Light event, we unite as a community and reflect on the progress we are making together in the fight to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and shed a light on the work still ahead. We honor those who have positively impacted the field locally and nationally and celebrate the hard work of all our partners and allies.
Every day, in every community, children are being exploited and abused, and right now marginalized youth are facing heightened challenges that put them at an even higher risk of exploitation. This powerful night allows us to raise vital funds needed to surround our mentees with the care and resources they need to thrive and to fight for a world free from sexual exploitation.
About the night
When: November 5, 2026 | 6-9pm
Where: Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston
What:
6:00 – 8:00pm: Cocktail reception featuring a selection of passed hors d'oeuvres and curated food stations.
8:00 - 9:00pm: Formal seated program with distinguished speakers
Tickets: $250
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
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Honorees and Keynote Speaker
This year, we are proud to honor extraordinary leaders whose courage, advocacy, and commitment have transformed the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Through their leadership and service, these changemakers have advanced justice, elevated survivor voices, and inspired action across the country.
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Become a Sponsor
Take a stand against commercial sexual exploitation while showing your support of the mission and impact of My Life My Choice. Sponsorships for individuals and businesses are available. Sponsorship dollars are put to use right away to support efforts to disrupt, prevent, and end the commercial sexual exploitation of children while strengthening our community of supporters.
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Become an Illuminator
Illuminators are volunteers who raise critical funds for My Life My Choice by creating and sharing their own fundraising pages. By leveraging your network in this way, not only are you having a greater impact on the mentees we serve, but you are helping grow the movement to end this egregious form of child abuse.
Ashley Judd is an acclaimed actor, global feminist humanitarian, survivor leader, and New York Times bestselling author.
For more than two decades, Judd has persevered to advance human dignity and freedom from violence, particularly for women, girls, and marginalized communities. Since 2004, she has collaborated with grassroots organizations, NGOs, multilateral institutions, and governments around the world, listening to those so often neglected, to promote healing, access to care, safety, equality, and justice.
Judd was named one of TIME’s Persons of the Year for her role as a silence-breaker and change-maker in the #MeToo movement.
In 2010, she earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Her paper, “Gender Violence: Law & Social Justice,” received the Dean’s Scholar honor at Harvard Law School. She is a Senior Fellow at the Women & Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School, where she teaches a seminar, “male entitlement to female bodies, and systems of female obligation.”
Judd’s devotion to liberation was shaped by relationships and interdisciplinary learning. As an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky, she was deeply influenced by a cohort of women scholars across anthropology, art history, theology, and gender studies who modeled rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and the lived experience that intellectual discipline, gentleness, and PROFOUND caring can, and must, coexist.
She especially learned from Barbara, the Black cook at her all-white sorority house, whose friendship and leadership demonstrated the intertwined oppressions of race, class, sex, and gender. The many hours they spent together in the kitchen were formative, nurturing the moral courage by which she hopes to live and be.
A survivor of child and adult complex trauma and deprivation, Ashley has been in recovery since 2006. In 2022, the American Foundation for Suicide prevention recognized her with their Life Saver honor.
21Down, her new movie, is scheduled for release in 2026.
Lauren Hersh is an internationally recognized lawyer and activist at the forefront of efforts to combat gender-based violence and exploitation in schools, online, and in the legal arena. She is a Time 100 honoree, the magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2026.
Lauren's work has played a critical role in shaping and advancing legislation designed to dismantle systems that allow those in power to operate with impunity and prey on the vulnerable. Most recently, she has helped lead survivor-driven efforts to advance accountability and transparency reforms in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein case, including the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
She is the Co-Founder and CEO of World Without Exploitation, a national coalition dedicated to ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation. She previously served as Chief of the Sex Trafficking Unit at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where she led major investigations and prosecutions on behalf of survivors.
Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Organization for Women’s Susan B. Anthony Award, Mount Sinai Hospital SAVI Award, and New York Law
Journal’s 2016 Rising Stars, and she is recognized as one of New York’s New Abolitionists. She has taught at NYU, lectured at the United Nations and the European Parliament, and written extensively on issues of gender-based violence.
A frequently sought-after national expert, Hersh regularly provides media analysis on sexual violence, trafficking, and survivor-centered justice. She has appeared on major outlets, including CNN, and has been featured in The New York Times, TIME and other leading news organizations.
Her work has played a critical role in shaping and advancing legislation designed to dismantle systems that allow those in power to operate with impunity and prey on the vulnerable. Most recently, she has helped lead survivor-driven efforts to advance accountability and transparency reforms in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein case, including the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Elizabeth (Liz) Stein is a Human Trafficking Specialist and Survivor Advocate focused on accountability, transparency, and survivor-centered policy reform. She approaches human trafficking as not only a series of individual crimes, but a systemic failure—enabled by silence, power, and institutional protection—and works to elevate survivor perspectives where legal processes intersect with public trust.
A prominent voice in the Epstein case, Stein has led public education and policy work around the Epstein Files Transparency Act, advocating for its passage and the full, timely release of all records essential to uncovering the truth. She has consistently emphasized that delayed, partial, or duplicative disclosures undermine justice and retraumatize survivors by obstructing meaningful accountability.
Previously, Stein served as a Survivor Mentor and Child Policy Associate, supporting individuals impacted by human trafficking and contributing to systems-level reform. She brings lived experience and professional expertise to her work, grounded in trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices.
Stein is a World Without Exploitation STAND Fellow and is engaged in local, state, and national anti-trafficking initiatives, including the Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition (PATC), the Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Work Group (PAHTAWG), the National Council ofJuvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) Survivor Leader Board, and Sex Trade Survivor Caucus (STSC). She is a recognized advocate and analyst on sex trafficking and has provided commentary on both systemic trafficking issues and the Epstein case for national and international news outlets, including BBC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, CNN, MSNOW, and Netflix.
Stein writes and speaks on survivor leadership, government transparency, and the necessity of truth as a foundation for justice.
Sponsorships make this event and our work possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please fill out the form below or email us to customize a sponsorship package that works for you! You can send all inquiries to Sonja Solberg Potter at ssolberg@jri.org
Sponsorship Opportunities
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As our lead sponsor, you receive:
Reserved premiere seating for 20 guests
Logo prominently featured on the invitation*, event website, at reception, and all other marketing material
Verbal acknowledgement during the event program
Full page ad in digital program booklet **
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Reserved premiere seating for 12 guests
Logo featured on the invitation*, event website, at reception, and all other marketing material
Verbal acknowledgement during the event program
Full page ad in digital program booklet**
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Reserved prominent seating for eight guests
Logo featured on the invitation*, event website, and all other marketing material
Verbal acknowledgement during the event program
Half page ad in digital program booklet**
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Reserved seating for four guests
Logo featured on the invitation*, event website, and various marketing material
Visual acknowledgement during speaking program
Half page ad in digital program booklet**
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Four guest tickets
Logo featured on the event website and various marketing material
Visual acknowledgement during speaking program
Name listed in program booklet
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Two guest tickets
Logo featured on the event website and all other marketing material
Visual acknowledgement during speaking program
Name listed in program booklet
**Ad design must be submitted by October 1, 2026
*Logo must be submitted by September 1, 2026 to be included on invitation
Become an Illuminator
Illuminators play a vital role in helping us reach our fundraising goals while also raising awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Illuminators help ensure that My Life My Choice has the staffing and resources needed to support young people referred to our programs through our prevention, training, and advocacy work. Our unique continuum of survivor-led programs change the trajectory of lives. Fundraise as an individual or team up with your friends, family, or colleagues to ignite your impact!
