‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA’ CO-ANCHOR ROBIN ROBERTS HOSTS INAUGURAL ‘THRIVERSHIP AWARDS’ STREAMING EXCLUSIVELY ON ABC NEWS LIVE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 AT 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT
Inspired by the Award-Winning ‘Thriver Thursday’ Digital Series, the Live Celebration Honors Everyday Heroes Making A Significant Impact in Communities Across the Globe
Plus, A One-Hour Special, ‘Robin Roberts Presents Thriver Thursday,’ Looks Back on Three Seasons of Her Award-Winning Series and the People Who Have Overcome Life-Altering Situations (9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT)
ABC News Live will air the first-ever “Robin Roberts Thrivership Awards,” hosted by the “Good Morning America” anchor on Thursday, December 10 beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. After an unprecedented year where COVID-19 has upended people’s lives and America is experiencing a racial reckoning, the one-hour live streaming event recognizes five “thrivers” who have overcome their own personal hardships to make meaningful contributions in their communities and around the world. Celebrity guests will join the celebration with moving introductions for each honoree. Preceding the special event at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, a one-hour special, “Robin Roberts Presents Thriver Thursday,” will take a look back at stories from three seasons of Roberts’ award-winning “Thriver Thursday” digital series.
“After what has been a difficult year for so many, I am looking forward to celebrating the resilience and generosity of these five individuals. They represent the strength we all have inside of us to fight through and conquer our ‘something,” said Roberts. “It’s an honor to share their stories.”
More information on the five honorees (listed alphabetically):
- Aaliyah Stewart (Merrillville, Ind.) – When she was 7 years-old, Aaliyah Stewart lost her brother to gun violence. Then, she lost a second brother and two more relatives in separate gun violence incidents. At age 14 Aaliyah created a non-profit to provide scholarships in their names. Now, at age 20, Aaliyah is an advocate for families suffering from loss and working on a youth facility center for kids in her community.
- Abi Brittain (Lawrence, Kan.) – Abi Brittain and her two toddler sons survived an unimaginable car accident that left her fighting for her life, on a ventilator for months and left one of her sons with a permanent brain injury. Abi was so inspired by the nurses who helped save her and her family that she enrolled in nursing school. More than two decades later, she’s a nurse at the very same hospital that saved her, and she’s working to save others on the frontlines in the pandemic.
- Amanda Kloots (Los Angeles) and the Broadway Community – Amanda Kloots lost her husband, Tony-nominated actor Nick Cordero, due to complications related to coronavirus. During Cordero’s 13-week hospitalization, Kloots rallied her social media followers each day in support of her husband and for all to come together during the difficult time. Despite her devastating loss she has remained resilient and continues to inspire and advocate for Broadway relief, along with various organizations, to support the struggling Broadway community and its workers.
- Hannah Lucas (Cummings, Ga.) –When she was 15 years-old, Hannah Lucas attempted suicide. Three years later, she didn’t want others to feel as alone or isolated as she once felt while battling a medical illness and mental health issues. With her younger brother Charlie, she created the NotOK app to help those struggling with mental illness, addiction issues or who are in crisis or need some type of help. Their app is expanding into other countries and has seen a significant spike in downloads and usage during the pandemic.
- Ryan Dwyer (Seattle) - Ryan and his stepdaughter Violet both battled cancer in 2019. He paid for and delivered meals to thank the healthcare workers who saved them. Even though Ryan’s cancer returned earlier this year, he created and runs a non-profit to continue feeding frontline healthcare workers and support the local restaurants that are struggling.
“Robin Roberts Thrivership Awards” is produced by Rock’n Robin Productions for ABC News Live. Katie den Daas and Catherine McKenzie are executive producers for ABC News Live. John R. Green and Robin Roberts are executive producers for Rock’n Robin Productions.
“Robin Roberts Presents Thriver Thursday” is executive produced by John R. Green and Robin Roberts. Gabriel Kerr and Jade Anderson are supervising producers of the series.
ABOUT ABC NEWS LIVE:
ABC News Live is ABC News’ 24/7 streaming news channel that presents coverage of live events, breaking news, in-depth reporting, context and analysis from around the world. It features original programs such as evening newscast “ABC News Live Prime” with Linsey Davis, “ABC News Live Update” with Diane Macedo and issues-oriented political program “Your Voice Your Vote: The Breakdown” with Macedo and Terry Moran. It has streamed original documentaries including “Guardians of the Amazon” and “Homegrown Hate” and original specials such as “Countdown to the CMA Awards, Live!,” “America’s Future: The Power of the Latino Vote,” “Countdown to the Emmys,” “Launch America” and “PRIDE on ABC News Live.”
ABC News Live is available to more than 370 million streamers with its distribution on Hulu, The Roku Channel, YouTube TV, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon’s news app on Fire tablets and Fire TV devices, Xumo, Sling TV, fuboTV, Haystack News, Facebook, Twitter, ABCNews.com, the ABC News and ABC mobile apps, and standalone ABC News Live apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku and Apple TV.
ABOUT THRIVER THURSDAY:
Streaming on Robin Roberts’ Facebook page (@RobinRoberts), “Thriver Thursday” is an innovative short-form digital documentary series from Rock ‘n Robin Productions, featuring the personal life journeys of remarkable individuals who share deeply personal, firsthand accounts of how they have overcome life-altering situations. From impaired physical and mental health, disease and disorder to grappling with sexual identity, “Thriver Thursday” celebrates these individuals’ triumphs and their ability to keep moving forward with a newfound purpose in life despite circumstance and setbacks. Episodes also available to view at http://www.thriverthursday.com
ABOUT ROCK ‘N ROBIN PRODUCTIONS:
Headed by Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, Rock'n Robin Productions is a full service, award winning broadcast and digital production company based in New York City creating new and exciting programming for network, cable, and online audiences. From documentaries and news driven specials, to entertainment and sports programming and short form digital series, regular clients of RRP include ABC, ESPN, espnW, Lifetime and Disney+. For more information, go to www.rocknrobin.tv
