“Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient” seems like a perfect quote to sum up the work that Friendly House has done for over 64 years. The 26th Annual Awards Luncheon honored television personality, designer and actress, Kelly Osbourne, singer-songwriter, musician, DJ Moby, and LA Councilman Herb Wesson this past Sunday, October 18.

The oldest recovery home and first residential program in the country for women recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House was founded in 1951 and was the first home in the country for women recovering from substance and alcohol abuse and is a model for recovery homes in the United States and Europe.

Celebrity Fashion Stylist and TV Personality Brad Goreski emceed the event with hilarity and welcomed over 500 guests. Moby was in France unfortunately and expressed how much he’d rather be at the luncheon via live video, while Kelly felt she did not deserve such an award, but all of the women who work so hard every day doing the work they do to stay strong and sober deserved the recognition.

Friendly House Board of Directors President Allison Roeder reminded guests of the vital work of the organization and its remarkable success rate for more than 64 years. A highlight of the afternoon was the introduction of the Grateful Heart, a woman who has found her way to Friendly House and has gone on to experience a fundamental change in her ways of thinking and living. Introduced by Peggy Albrecht, Executive Director and the guiding force behind Peggy Albrecht Friendly House for 32 years, this year’s Grateful Heart, “Mindy” along with her mother movingly told her personal story, reflecting on her life before and after Friendly House. Her mother was equally poignant in recounting how Friendly House literally saved her daughter’s life, bringing her back into the family fold.

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell presented the “2015 Excellence in Service Award” to his fellow Council member Herb Wesson, Jr. Unanimously elected President of the Los Angeles City Council in 2011, Wesson has represented the 10^th Council District of the City of Los Angeles for more than ten years. With a cumulative career of over twenty years in government, he currently chairs the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committees as well as chairing the Education and Neighborhoods Committee and is also a member of the Economic Development Committee. Known for his uncanny ability to bring people together, he previously served as the 65^th Speaker of the California State Assembly, only the second African American to hold that position. As Speaker, Wesson fought to protect society’s most vulnerable and to pass groundbreaking legislation on the environment, education and healthcare.

New York Times best-selling author and CEO/Editor of Rehab-Reviews.com and AfterParty Magazine, Anna David, accepted the “2015 Man of the Year Award” on behalf of Moby, currently in Paris working on his latest album.  Moby (aka Richard Melville Hall) has been making music since the age of nine, beginning with classical guitar before joining the seminal Connecticut hardcore punk group “ Vatican Commandoes” at 13. He honed his DJ skills after leaving college and was a major fixture in the late 80’s New York house and hip-hop scenes.  Moby’s first single “Go”…listed as one of Rolling Stones best records of all time…was released in 1991 and he has been making albums ever since, selling over 20,000,000 copies worldwide. His 2013 album “Innocents” marked his most collaborative project to date, featuring Wayne Coyne, Cold Specks, Damien Jurado, Mark Lanegan and Skylar Grey.  He is currently working on new music. Moby works closely with a variety of charities, including the Humane Society and the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. In 2007, he launched “Mobygratis” which provides free music for independent film makers. 

Brad Goreski presented the “2015 Woman of the Year Award” to television personality, designer and actress Kelly Osbourne. Osbourne first came to prominence while appearing on the reality series, “The Osbournes” with her family, for which they won a 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program. For the past five years, she co-hosted E!’s hit show, “Fashion Police” and was frequently found on the red carpet as one of E!’s Fashion Correspondents. A collection of M*A*C Cosmetics co-created with her mother, Sharon debuted in 2014. She has also been busy designing Stories…By Kelly Osbourne, her first ready-to-wear fashion line with sizes from 0-24. The line’s second collection was released earlier this year. Osbourne has also joined the judging panel for the first season of “Project Runway” spinoff “Project Runway Junior,” which features teenage contestants and premieres on Lifetime in November of this year.

Recently, Osbourne has been lending her voice to the Disney XD animated series “The 7D,” playing the villain ‘Hildy.’ The show was just picked up for a second season. She has also appeared on ABC’s smash hit, “Dancing with the Stars,” in which she and professional dance partner Louis van Amstel took third place. On screen, Osbourne has been featured in “The Queen’s Handbag,” “Should’ve Been Romeo,” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember” as well as on television in “Life As We Know It.” She will soon be seen opposite Miley Cyrus in “So Undercover.” In the role of Mama Morton, Osbourne made her stage debut in “Chicago” at London’s Cambridge Theatre. Her 2009 autobiography “Fierce” offers advice and guidance in tackling tough times throughout one’s life. A supporter of LGBT/Anti-Bullying causes, she also is actively involved with The Trevor Project and DoSomething.org, for which she was honored for her on-going work with Race to Erase MS.

Past honorees include: Kelly Meyer, Oscar De La Hoya, Anthony Hopkins, Russell Brand, Viola Davis, Quincy Jones and Sumner Redstone.