The Pennsylvania Innocence Project  is holding its Virtual Annual Celebration on October 20, 2021 via live stream beginning at 7:30 PM.

The annual celebration titled, Dedicated to Justice, is an evening celebrating individuals who have made extraordinary efforts in the pursuit of justice in the criminal law system.

The evening will feature a fireside chat with attorneys Jerry Blackwell and Steve Schleicher, who answered the call for justice when they took time away from their respective private practices to helplead the prosecution of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

In addition, the project will be recognizing three individuals for their remarkable work in Pennsylvania in the area of wrongful convictions and exonerations.

The Maureen Rowley Award, given to an individual who has devoted their career to pursuing justice, will bew presented to Patricia Cummings, former supervisor of the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. Patricia's profoundly impactful work has contributed to the exoneration of many wrongfully convicted individuals.

Nathan Andrisani, a partner with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, will receive the Edward D. Ohlbaum Volunteer Award for his tireless work on behalf of multiple Pennsylvania Innocence Project clients. Among these is Andrew Swainson, who was exonerated in the summer of 2020 after being wrongfully convicted and serving 31 years in prison.

And the Hero of Justice Award will be presented to the project's Immediate Past President, Howard Scher, who has demonstrated sustained commitment to achieving criminal justice for all through his dedication and passion for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, it's mission, and it's clients.