"Thank you so much for this wonderful honor. First, I need to say Congratulations to my amazing and inspiring husband, Neil Berg, and the brilliant Ellen Burstyn. Neil, I don't know where I would be without you and Ellen, I've been a fan for so long and I am thrilled to get to meet you.

"To all of our friends and family: You are here because you believe in the responsibility that we all have to help others, to live and act with compassion and to reach out to those who are desperately in need.

"Someone asked me many years ago, "Why do you want to sing and perform? Don't you think it's a selfish thing to do it just because you like it?"

"At the time, I took what she said very seriously and at times I still think about that question. But over the years I've come to see how off base that question was. You see, I believe that when you are doing what you truly love to do, you never know who you are going to inspire.

"When you can tell a story or sing a song that others can relate to, you never know who is going to feel lifted up, or comforted or moved to make a courageous change in their lives. Neil and I see it and hear it when we talk to audience members after our shows, in the tough businessmen with tears in their eyes, in the students we have so grown to love.

"It's a way to connect to each other's humanity, to remind us that we are all in this crazy world together and we need to support each other.

"I feel that in our own small way we've been able to do our part by performing and working with so many charitable organizations. Not just raising money, but hopefully we've been able to inspire the members of the organization and the people they serve to keep moving forward doing the important work that they do.

"At the same time, I am inspired and moved and humbled by the great work that is done by Rockland Family Shelter. They reach out and offer a safely net to people who feel so alone, people who have been living with fear, secrecy and shame. To them, RFS must be like a beacon of light at the end of a long tunnel they thought would never end. That is something I am proud to support in whatever way I can, whether by performing in a benefit, helping to raise awareness, or by teaching my son that violence is never the way to solve problems, and that it is so important to reach out to other human beings.

"Thank you for making me feel special tonight. Know that I feel twice as much love for all of you here tonight. Thank you for all that you do."