Felicity Huffman hosts anniversary event for non-profit she did community service with
Just days after an exclusive ABC7 interview with Felicity Huffman, the actress hosted an event for the non-profit where she did her court-ordered community service.
On Sunday, hundreds attended the 25th anniversary celebration for A New Way of Life, a non-profit that provides safe housing, job training and other services to help formerly incarcerated women.
Women who've been helped by the organization, and longtime supporter Maxine Waters, attended Sunday's celebration.
Susan Burton understands the struggles they face. She founded the non-profit after spending many years revolving in and out of prison.
"Twenty-five years of escorting women out of the criminal justice system into their community," she said. "Reuniting them with their children, helping them with jobs, helping them go back to school."
Huffman hosted the event. The former "Desperate Housewives" star became involved with the organization, doing 250 hours of community service, after serving time for her involvement in a college admissions scandal.
The Varsity Blues scandal involved dozens of wealthy parents who used fraudulent means to help get their kids into college.
In 2019, Huffman pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting she paid $15,000 to a college admission consultant to falsify her daughter's SAT results.
She spoke out for the first time in an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News.
"...When he slowly started to present the criminal scheme, it seemed like - and I know this seems crazy at the time - but that was my only option to give my daughter a future."
"And I know hindsight is 20/20 but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it. So - I did it."
Huffman served 11 days in prison and paid a $30,000 fine.
After completing community service, he maintained her involvement with A New Way of Life.
"She came in full-speed and tackled, you know, some hard work," Burton said.
