Mariska Hargitay Lights The Empire State Building In Honor Of The Joyful Heart Foundation And Law & Order: SVU’s 25th Season
As the sun set on Saturday April 6th, SVU fans in New York City were able to spot a very special sight — the Empire State Building lit up by none other than Olivia Benson herself. Longtime Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay lit the Empire State Building in partnership with The Joyful Heart Foundation to bring attention to Sexual Assault Awareness Month and to celebrate the 25th anniversary season of SVU.
The Empire State Building has a long-standing tradition of changing the color of its lights to recognize important organizations and occasions. This time, the building shone brightly in the color teal, which represents awareness of sexual assault and sexual violence, supporting survivors, and advocating for prevention and justice, and is one of Joyful Heart’s signature colors.
Founded by Mariska in 2004, The Joyful Heart Foundation is a leading national organization with the mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse; support survivors’ healing; and end this violence forever. Joyful Heart has made the elimination of the rape kit backlog a top priority through End the Backlog, the first and only online hub for information about this issue. At present, Joyful Heart has identified more than 225,000 untested rape kits across the U.S., and continues to raise awareness about the backlog with the aim of improving our collective response to sexual violence.
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On screen, Mariska continues her work by empowering viewers in her role as Captain Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU, which is currently in its record-breaking 25th season.
Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC and stream episodes the next day on Peacock.
Photos: Virginia Sherwood/NBC
