The Great Turning: Honoring a Legacy, Inspiring the Future

Join us live on Saturday, October 24th
at the historic site of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, for an evening that will stay with you long after it ends.

Or, if you cannot journey to Seattle, join us online:

October 24 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
October 25 at 7:00 AM Pacific Time
 

This year’s Gala marks a moment of return and renewal. As the Charter for Compassion gathers in Seattle—its first Compassionate City—we honor the individuals whose vision and dedication helped grow a local movement into a global force for good. The Charter for Compassion's legacy lives in the communities, partnerships, and lives touched around the world. The Great Turning reflects this pivotal moment: a turning from division to connection, from intention to action, and from past achievements to future possibility. Together, we celebrate where we have come from—and step forward, inspired, to shape a more compassionate world.

Each year, the Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Award, presented by the Charter for Compassion, honors individuals and organizations whose life work embodies compassionate action, moral courage, and a deep commitment to our shared humanity. These extraordinary leaders come from diverse traditions, cultures, and disciplines—but they share a profound truth: compassion is not a passive feeling. It is a force—powerful enough to transform lives, communities, and our world.

This year, the Gala is becoming more than a celebration. It is an invitation—to step into that force.

On this remarkable evening, every moment is designed to move you. Through powerful testimonies, unforgettable music, and stories of courage and resilience, we will honor those who have blazed a path forward, lighting the way for all of us. Their journeys remind us what is possible when compassion is lived boldly.

And yet, this work does not continue without you.