NCMEC’s Hope Gala: Honoring Those Who Turn Ideas into Impact

Sometimes change starts with just one idea.

Thirty years ago, Diana Simone helped turn an idea born from tragedy into what would become the national AMBER Alert system. Today, AMBER Alerts bring communities together to help find missing children and have changed the way the country responds when a child goes missing.

That same spirit was at the heart of NCMEC’s 2026 Hope Gala Wednesday night, where Simone was honored alongside four other individuals who each saw an opportunity to make a difference and chose to act.

Held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., the annual gala brought together supporters, advocates, law enforcement professionals and technology leaders committed to creating a safer future for children.

“Our honorees didn’t spend their careers in the child protection field,” said NCMEC CEO Michelle DeLaune as she opened the evening. “They didn’t claim to have all the answers. They simply saw something they could do to make the world safer for children, and they did it.”

For Simone, that meant recognizing the power of bringing an entire community into the search for a missing child. 

"I had no idea how full my heart could be," Simone told the audience. "But this award isn't for me. It's for all of the people out there who called in a tip, who saw an alert and took action. They turned this idea into a lifesaving reality." 

Diana Simone accepts her award alongside Revé, John, Callahan and Hayden Walsh.

The award was presented by NCMEC co-founders, Revé and John Walsh, alongside their sons, Callahan and Hayden Walsh. 

"You are all angels,” said John, addressing a crowd of nearly 500 people who gathered to support NCMEC’s critical mission.

NCMEC itself was born from the belief that what happened to one family should not happen to another. Decades later, Tim and Tamia Woods found their own way to turn unimaginable grief into a commitment to protect others. 

After the loss of their son, James, the Woods chose to share their story, working to protect other families from the growing threat of financial sextortion. Through the "Do It for James Foundation," the Woods have become leading voices in the fight against sextortion, advocating for change and educating families and young people.

"We will continue to speak," said Tamia. "We will continue to yell and scream and teach and do everything we can do to make sure that everyone in this room, and outside of this room, gets the chance to see their child grow up." 

Tim and Tamia Woods alongside NCMEC Board Chair, The Honorable Regina Schofield. 

As threats facing children evolve, so must the ways we protect them.

For Jamie Siminoff, that meant seeing how technology could be used to bring more people into the search for a missing child. As the founder and chief inventor of Ring, Siminoff was recognized for his commitment to community safety. Through Ring’s partnership with NCMEC, information about missing children is shared directly with people in the communities where they disappeared, putting thousands of potential eyes on the search and helping bring many missing children home.

NCMEC CEO Michelle DeLaune alongside Ring founder and chief inventor, Jamie Siminoff.

Innovation can also change the way law enforcement approaches an existing problem.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Nyhof developed an innovative approach to pursuing dangerous offenders. Through persistence and leadership, his work has helped bring approximately 150 wanted sex offenders to justice and has since become a model for operations nationwide.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Nyhof alongside NCMEC Executive Director Callahan Walsh.

From AMBER Alerts to advocacy, technology and law enforcement, this year’s honorees showed that change can begin in many different ways.

But the common thread is simple: someone recognized what could be done better and decided to do something about it.

That is the heart of hope. When one idea becomes action, it can become something much bigger: a nationwide system, a new way of protecting children, a community united in a search or a movement determined to keep other families from experiencing the same loss.

And sometimes, all it takes is one person willing to believe something better is possible.

To see more photos from NCMEC’s annual HOPE Gala, click here. To help NCMEC continue our critical work protecting children and supporting families, please consider making a donation.

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Photos by Sarah Baker & Claire Edkins