Child’s Hope, a Wayne County-based resource for child abuse prevention services will hold its annual fundraiser – Hopes and Dreams, a Girls’ Night Out – at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn on Sept. 22.

The event, presented by Child’s Hope and Neiman Marcus, brings together women from the tri-county area to support University of Michigan-Dearborn based Child’s Hope, an organization that provides child abuse prevention education and other services to communities in Wayne County.

Celebrating its seventh year, Hopes and Dreams will honor Dearborn resident Mary Kosch, who launched the event in 2005.

Kosch, a champion for at-risk children, believes deeply in the work of the Child’s Hope.

“The idea of assisting children with literacy, empowering them with their own voice and instilling them with a sense of self-worth inspires me,” Kosch says. “There’s a tremendous group of women in this community who care deeply about family and want to give back. All it took was a creative combination of shopping, dining, fashion, friendship and the right cause to inspire women to come together and raise money!”

With the help of Mary and her husband Don Kosch, owner of Dearborn Sausage Company, the organization’s roster of donors has grown to record levels in seven years. Kosch’s vision, to raise awareness and build momentum to support Child’s Hope, laid the groundwork for making this event the charity’s largest annual fundraiser. Each year, a committee of 30 local women, chaired by Linda L. Freitag, orchestrates every aspect of this special event.

“We solicit sponsors, collect donations and raffle items, sign and send invitations and even decorate the venue,” Freitag says. “It’s a lot of hard work but very rewarding to all of us.”

Child’s Hope Executive Director Annemarie Valdez says that in addition to raising nearly $70,000 for child abuse prevention programs each year, Hopes and Dreams also helps the community understand why it’s so important to look out for at-risk youth.

“With more and more cases of abuse being reported daily, it’s crucial for us to educate the public about what to look for and how to report to protect young children,” Valdez says. “Reaching children early and encouraging them to come forward is key to making a change for abused and neglected children.”

For more information about this event, to become a sponsor, buy a ticket, or to make a donation, call Child’s Hope at 313-583-6401 or go to www.childshope.org