PHILADELPHIA –- The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania will host its second annual Field of Dreams Luncheon Friday, Oct. 12, at the College of Physicians, 19 S. 22nd St., Philadelphia.

The Luncheon celebrates the passion and work of the late Alan Lerner, a former faculty director at the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research and a member of the Penn Law clinical faculty, by bestowing two honors in his memory, the Alan Lerner Child Advocacy Award and the Alan Lerner Fellowship in Child Welfare Policy.

This year’s Alan Lerner Child Advocacy Award will go to Risa Vetri Ferman, for her commitment to and advocacy for victims of child abuse.

“The Field Center is proud to honor Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who has dedicated her career to advocating for the needs of victims of child abuse,” said Debra Schilling Wolfe, executive director of the Field Center.  “She is both a leader and a collaborator, which is why she is so successful in changing the landscape for our most vulnerable citizens.”

Ferman earned her B.A. in history from Penn in 1987 and her law degree from the Widener University School of Law.  From the time she was appointed as a prosecutor in 1993, she has specialized in the prosecution of homicide, child abuse, sexual-assault and domestic-violence cases.

She was the driving force behind the creation of the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, Montgomery County’s first child-advocacy program aimed at easing the criminal-justice process for victims of child abuse.

Ferman co-founded the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project, which provides pro-bono legal services to abused children.