Photos: STEP premieres in Baltimore

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On Monday, July 24, 2017 the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women (BLSYW) hosted the hometown premiere of Fox Searchlight Picture’s STEP. More than 450 friends of BLSYW—donors, community leaders, business leaders, faculty, staff, current and former students and their families—came to celebrate the Baltimore-based documentary. Held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre and supported by the Baltimore Ravens, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Under Armour, the event featured a screening of the film and a Q&A with the film’s director, Baltimore-native Amanda Lipitz, and the Lethal Ladies of BLSYW.

STEP is the true-life story of BLSYW’s step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.

BLSYW is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so. Deeply insightful and emotionally inspiring, STEP embodies the true meaning of sisterhood through a story of courageous young women worth cheering for.  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to sold-out screenings, where it received the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking.

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Students from BLSYW celebrate the premiere of STEP.

 

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Kevin Cournoyer and Cielo Cournoyer, teachers at BLSYW.

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Ken Jones retired executive, Northrop Grumman and Linda Jones, Managing Partner at Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP and Chair of the BLSYW Board of Directors.

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Chuck Tildon, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Government Relations at United Way of Central Maryland and Stacey Ullrich, Head of Global Philanthropy at Under Armour.

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Dorie Fain, Founder and CEO of &Wealth; Lisa Vogel, President of the Lisa Vogel Agency; Dara Schapiro Schnee, Director of Major Gifts at Kennedy Krieger Institute; and Lisa Dixon, Special Assistant to the President/Special Events Director.

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Mathias Miller; Dennis Miller, Vice President, Development at Wexford Science & Technology; Maria Miller, Vice President of Development at The Shelter Group; and Arnold Richman, Chairman of The Shelter Group.

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Jed Dietz, Founding Director, Maryland Film Festival; Mayor Catherine Pugh; and Brenda Brown Rever, Founder, Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.

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Carla Hopkins, Assistant Director, Community Partnerships/Diversity Education, Johns Hopkins University Office of Multi Cultural Affairs and BLSYW Board Member and Delegate Antonio Hayes.

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Brit Kirwan, Retired Chancellor, University System of Maryland and BLSYW Board Member and Ron Daniels, President of Johns Hopkins University.

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Patti Neumann, Founder & CEO of Citypeek, LLP and BLSYW Board Member; Spencer Levy, Senior Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis|Capital Markets and BLSYW Board Member; and Jodi Kimmel, Associate Director, Crystal & Company and BLSYW Board Member.

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Nancy Utley, President, Fox Searchlight Pictures; Amanda Lipitz, Director of STEP; and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.

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