BOISE, Idaho, March 20, 2025 –Local nonprofit Faces of Hope is bringing former NYPD detective and domestic violence survivor Katrina Brownlee to their 4th annual Faces of Courage benefit gala on April 11, 2025.
Detective Brownlee overcame unimaginable adversity, including a near-homicide, prior to retiring as one of the highest-ranking detectives in the NYPD.
At 22, Brownlee was shot 10 times by her abusive fiancé, a police officer whose badge shielded him from accountability each time she called 911. Refusing to let this near-death experience define her, she learned how to walk again, exited homelessness, and took a job at the NYPD to change the system from within. She worked her way up the ranks and earned a position on the NYC Mayor’s security detail prior to her retirement and now has written a soon-to-be-published memoir and founded a nonprofit called “Young Ladies of Our Future” to mentor at-risk young women.
“We are thrilled to have Katrina Brownlee join us for this year’s Faces of Courage event,” said Paige Dinger, Executive Director of Faces of Hope. “Her story of resilience and courageous leadership shows what’s possible when survivors stand up against a broken system and have the support they need to imagine a safer, violence-free community. She reminds us why the work we do matters so deeply.”
The Faces of Courage benefit gala will take place on the evening of Friday, April 11, 2025, at Boise Centre, uniting community members, survivors, and advocates to celebrate courageous examples of healing and stand together in the fight against domestic violence.
Limited tickets for the benefit gala are available for purchase at facesofhopeidaho.org/FOC2025. Zions Bank and E-M Construction are the lead sponsors of the event, joining 30+ other businesses and individuals who are sponsoring a table or underwriting the event.
For inquiries or interviews, please contact:
Emma Schwarz
Major Gifts Officer, Faces of Hope
emma@facesofhopeidaho.org
208-986-4085
History of Faces of Courage Drea Kelly, dancer and ex-wife of disgraced R&B artist R. Kelly delivered a powerful address detailing her abuse to over 600 attendees at Faces of Courage in April 2024. In 2023, the keynote was Maggie Nichols, “Athlete A,” the first gymnast to report abuse from USA Gymnastics/Larry Nassar. The year prior, child abduction survivor and author Elizabeth Smart spoke. The event routinely raises a significant portion of Faces of Hope’s annual revenue for free, immediate crisis services in the Treasure Valley.
