2012
04/30/2012 - THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION’S HOT PINK PARTY
04/26/2012 - Grand St. Settlement's Taste of the Lower East Side
04/02/2012 - 2012 Skating with the Stars Gala
04/02/2012 - Strokes of Genius to benefit Autism Spectrum Disorders
03/29/2012 - The American Classical Orchestra 2012 Spring Gala Concert & Benefit
03/24/2012 - United States launch of the Seol Won Foundation
03/21/2012 - Kick-off event for The Perlman Music Program’s May 3rd Spring Benefit
03/16/2012 - Asia WeekNY kick-off reception at the Morgan Museum & Library
03/10/2012 - Toby and Itzhak Perlman and The Perlman Music Program hosted by Jim and Kristy Clark in Palm Beach
03/08/2012 - National Committee on American Foreign Policy Hosts the 2012 Gala Awards Dinner
03/06/2012 - 2nd Annual Fountain House Associates Spring Breakfast
03/05/2012 - School of American Ballet's Winter Ball 2012
03/03/2012 - AMIT NewGen Wine Tasting
03/01/2012 - American Cancer Society Honors Grace Hightower De Niro, Diane Reidy-Lagunes MD, Emily Sonnenblick MD
03/01/2012 - New York School of Interior Design Kick-off Reception
02/25/2012 - GiGi’s PLAYHOUSE NYC, Down Syndrome Awareness Centers, opened its doors for the first time
02/25/2012 - CARON LIGHTS UP MAR-A-LAGO WITH “AFTER DARK” GALA
02/19/2012 - Blitz Build 2012
02/07/2012 - 2012 Annual High School Counselor’s Breakfast
02/06/2012 - The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s ® (BCRF) annual Hot Pink Luncheon and Symposium
02/04/2012 - The 2012 Hope Gala
02/03/2012 - North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee Presents Checks to Local Food Banks
02/03/2012 - American Cancer Society’s 54th Annual Black and White Gala
02/02/2012 - Cut 25 Flagship opening - an event to benefit Project Paz
01/29/2012 - KiDS of NYU Langone Foundation hosted its 6th annual KiDS Play to Win!
01/28/2012 - Girls Bite Out for the North Texas Food Bank
01/26/2012 - French Heritage Society’s New York ChapterKicked Off its 2012 Cultural Season
01/26/2012 - Annual Event to benefit The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School
01/26/2012 - 2012 Plates for Pediatrics Benefit
01/24/2012 - New York Philharmonic Chinese New Year Gala
01/20/2012 - 2012 Wishmaker's Ball
01/20/2012 - Silence! Silent Art Forms
01/19/2012 - UJA-Federation of New York Generosity Signature Event
01/19/2012 - JDRF Central Jersey Chapter Events
01/17/2012 - TIFFANY & CO. HOSTS CARON SUPPORTERS TO SPECIAL PREVIEW OF 2012 TIFFANY LEATHER COLLECTION
01/16/2012 - 2nd Annual San Diego Breast Cancer Fundraiser
01/13/2012 - "Cycle Without Limits" Specialized Bike Program
01/12/2012 - Salvatore Ferragamo Hosts and Evening of Shopping to Benefit the Paradise Fund in Support of St. Jud
01/12/2012 - JDRF Central Jersey Chapter Walk to Cure Diabetes Awards Party
01/09/2012 - Museum of American Finance 2012 Gala
2011
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Literacy Partners 27th Annual “Evening of Readings” Gala
05/16/2011 - By New York, NY

Literacy Partners 27th Annual “Evening of Readings” Gala

Literacy Partners Annual "Evening of Readings" Gala met and exceeded fundraising goals.

Thanks to the generous support of New York philanthropic and community leaders and headliners from the worlds of television, film, fashion, design and media, Literacy Partners raised substantial funds to help fight adult illiteracy.

Chaired by celebrated New Yorkers Liz Smith, Arnold Scaasi, Parker Ladd and Jacqueline Weld Drake, this year's event featured TV personalities and authors Whoopi Goldberg and Katie Couric, as well as bestselling authors Michael Connelly (author of City of Bones, Chasing the Dime, and The Lincoln Lawyer), and Stacy Schiff (Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction writer and author of the current bestseller Cleopatra: A Life). All read aloud from their most recent works.
In addition, the 2011 Face of Literacy Award was presented to The King’s Speech for its inspiring and entertaining portrayal of King George VI and his quest, against seemingly insurmountable odds, to find his voice. Screenwriter David Seidler and Director Tom Hooper were in attendance to receive the award on behalf of the Academy Award-winning movie.
During the event, held at the David H. Koch Theater, Smith welcomed guests with a quote from the Dr. Seuss book I Can Read with My Eyes Shut: "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

"This quote is as true today as it was 30 years ago," she pointed out, adding, "I wish we didn't need to have an organization like Literacy Partners…but we do. Almost a quarter of New Yorkers are functionally illiterate."

Literacy Partners, New York City’s only accredited adult literacy organization, honored Barnes & Noble Founder Leonard Riggio and his wife, Louise Riggio, for their financial support of the evening’s event as well as their philanthropy and longtime advocacy on behalf of literacy and the written word.

Leonard Riggio said, "The Riggio Foundation attempts to redress the inequities in our civilization. We believe in aspiration, opportunity and social justice. What Literacy Partners does is even more important than the things that Louise and I have done. Thanks, all of you, for opening doors. Let's all keep them open."

The King’s Speech Academy Award-winning screenwriter David Seidler was on hand to accept the Literacy Partners Face of Literacy Award. This honor recognizes individuals who have used their talents in a significant way to bring awareness to fact that adults, when challenged to find their personal power and voice in the world – with support and education – can have glorious results.

Seidler, who himself battled a stutter in the past, said "To change is a very courageous act -- and I salute you, Literacy Partners students. I applaud you. You are my sisters and my brothers."

Literacy Partners students Josh Berkonti and Niama Khanboubi also joined the stars on stage, reading personal essays explaining the tremendous impact that the organization has had on their lives.

The Humanitarian Auction, conducted by Sotheby’s auctioneer Hugh Hildesley, rounded out the evening. Over $100K was initially raised, with a generous matching award from honorees Leonard and Louise Riggio for a total of over $200K in funds from the auction alone.

Photos: Patrick McMullan


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