Knock Out Abuse!

Last night, we headed to the 23rd annual Knock Out Abuse Against Women gala at The Ritz-Carlton DC.

Since 1993, Knock Out Abuse has been helping women and children whose lives have been affected by domestic violence. We snapped the founders, Jill Sorensen and Cheryl Masri, who welcomed the room full of women to KOA's largest fundraiser of the year.

The ladies walked down a red carpet and were escorted by gentlemen in tuxedos to the cocktail reception, where they ate mini crab cakes and tuna tartare, sipped on the Elyx Cup with vodka, mint and sparkling wine and took pictures at the photo booth. Here, KOA auction co-chair Ellen Spiegel, TOWF's Joyce Schneider and Jennifer Hirsch flanking Savills Studley's Wendy Feldman Block.

At dinner, Grammy-award winning jazz artist Patti Austin serenaded the crowd, while they savored a lavish three-course meal of pan-seared sea scallops with sweet corn ravioli, roasted duck breast in cognac sherry wine sauce and cream cheese apple tart. Here, Hope Floats' Kimmie Boone, Norah Claire Aesthetics' Norah Gourlay and Century 21's Andrea Paro.

Proceeds will go toward helping the victims of domestic violence at Bethany House, Crossway Community, Safe Shores and the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project. Here, NIH's Heidi Kong, Concord Hill School's Blaire Massa and Donna Sturtevant, and Birchstone Moore LLC's Erin Galper.