Generosity events

Cocktails at the Museum of the City of New York's annual Winter Ball at the Pierre.

This past Wednesday night (2/20) the Director’s Council of the Museum of the City of New York held its annual Winter Ball at the Pierre. The black tie benefit gala brought out a crowd of almost 500. Under the aegis of Mark Gilbertson who, with a lot of devoted committee members, has been running this annual event for several years, said they raised $500,000 for the museum programs to benefit New York City schoolchildren.

This is a dinner dance that possesses some of the qualities of a club dance. Many guests know each other and have been coming to this party annually for years. They’ve grown up with it and it’s grown up with them. Now the core crowd is in its prime in New York. Along with them come their newer friends, so there are people who know each other and others who are meeting for the first time. An ideal mix. After the briefest of speeches, guests wined and dined and then danced to the music of DJ David Chang. A little after eleven, the crowd dispersed. A work night. A good party.

On Tuesday, February 12, the New York Philharmonic held its second annual Chinese New Year Gala. Over 300 guests attended and approximately $850,000 was raised for the Philharmonic.

The celebratory evening ushered in the Year of the Snake with a Gala concert that highlighted the contrasts and connections between Chinese and Western music. The concert, conducted by Long Yu, featured performances by Grammy Award–winning jazz pianist Herbie Hancock; Peking Opera star Yan Wang; the Snow Lotus Trio, a folk ensemble from the mountains of China; mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano; soprano Ying Huang; and Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu, who recited selected readings of poems that inspired works on the program.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Dragon Dance on Josie Robetson Plaza

Long Yu conducts the Snow Lotus Trio with the NY Philharmonic

For the second consecutive year, a traditional Dragon Dance was performed by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company on Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza preceding the concert and inside Avery Fisher Hall throughout the evening. This year's dance featured a special appearance by Lady White from the Legend of the White Serpent.

Guests of the Chinese New Year Gala arrived at Avery Fisher Hall beginning at 6:00 p.m. for an hour-long cocktail reception on the Grand Promenade. The concert began at 7:30 p.m., followed by a traditional Chinese attire/black-tie dinner, also on the Grand Promenade.

The evening's event was catered by Restaurant Associates, and the décor was provided by Van Vliet & Trap.

Herbie Hancock and the NY Philharmonic

Honorary Chairmen for the Gala were Mr. and Mrs. Maurice R. Greenberg, and H.E. Ambassador Sun Guoxiang and Madam Wang Min. The Gala Co-Chairmen were Angela Chen, Guoqing Chen and Ming Liu, Gary W. Parr, Oscar L. Tang, and Shirley Young. Among those in attendance were Music Director Alan Gilbert and Kajsa William-Olsson, Executive Director Matthew VanBesien and Rosie Jowitt, Richard and Karen LeFrak, Kenneth and Noreen Buckfire, Christian and Heidi Lange, Hilary and Wilbur Ross, Lizabeth Newman, John and Jenny Paulson, and Barbara and Donald Tober.

Angela Chen (Gala Co-chair), Karen LeFrak (Board Member and Chair, Special Events Committee), Ghislaine Maxwell, and Gillian Miniter

Audrey Gruss, Richard LeFrak, and Christine Schwarzman

Cathy Wu, H.E. Ambassador SUN Guoxiang (Honorary Gala Chairman), and Curtis Kohlhaas

Charles Niemeth (Board Member), Anne Niemeth, Ronald Ulrich (Board Member), and Christian Samper

Daria Foster (Board Member)

Guoqing Chen and Ming Liu (Gala Co-chairs)

Donald Tober, Barbara Tober, Shirley Young (Gala Co-chair), and Sandra Warshawsky (Board Member)

Gary Parr (Chairman and Gala Co-chair) and Long Yu (conductor)

Helen Levy, Sharon Hite, Stan Warshawsky, and Sandra Warshawsky (Board Member)

Hilary Ross, Wilbur Ross, Karen LeFrak (Board Member and Chair, Special Events Committee), Richard LeFrak, and Gary Parr (Chairman and Gala Co-chair)

Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu (speaker), Younghee Kim-Wait, Karen LeFrak (Board Member and Chair, Special Events Committee), and Shirley Young (Gala Co-chair)

Huari LI, Christina MacDonald, and Madam Sujuan HE

Kathy Mele and Music Director Alan Gilbert

Kathy Mele, Ying Huang (soprano) and Shirley Young (Gala Co-chair)

Li Jing, Jason Hirsch, and Jeanne Lawrence

Lizabeth Newman (Board Member)

WEN Na, H.E. Ambassador SUN Guoxiang (Honorary Gala Chairman)

Mark Baumgartner and Bei Saville

Noel Patton and Beatrice Pei

Matthew VanBesien (Exectuive Director), Rosie Jowitt, Madam WEN Na, and Angela Chen (Gala Co-chair)

New York Philharmonic leadership and philanthropists behind the Chinese New Year Gala, with their families and the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Noreen Buckfire

Shirley Young (Gala Co-chair), Matthew VanBesien (Executive Director), and Rosie Jowitt

Oscar Tang (Gala Co-chair), Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu (speaker), and Gary Parr (Chairman and Gala Co-chair)

Roy Keen, Guy Fiennes, Lady Susannah Fiennes, Yue-Sai Kan, Angela Chen (Gala Co-chair), and Ghislaine Maxwell

Roy Keen, Ida Liu, Jason Hirsch, Li Jing, Jeanne Lawrence, Patricia Shiah, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Robert Willis, and Angela Chen (Gala Co-Chair)

Shirley Young (Gala Co-chair), Matthew VanBesien (Executive Director), Rosie Jowitt, LI Zi Jiang, Mrs. LI Zi Jiang, and Lizzy Li

Snow Lotus Trio and H.E. Ambassador SUN Guoxiang (Honorary Gala Chairman)

Snow Lotus Trio with Sanford Prater and Shirley Bacot Shamel (Board Member)

Wilson Ling, Angela Chen (Gala Co-chair), and Gary Parr (Chairman and Gala Co-chair)

Yue-Sai Kan, H.E. Ambassador SUN Guoxiang (Honorary Gala Chairman), Madam WANG Min (Honorary Gala Chairman), and SUN Hao

UJA-Federation of New York’s annual Generosity Signature Event brought together more than 700 philanthropists in their 20s and 30s for an evening of philanthropy, dancing, and fundraising through Text-to-Pledge technology, on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at Ajna Bar in New York City. The event raised nearly $220,000, garnering $80,000 in donations via text message.

UJA-Federation’s Generosity division, chaired by Lee Brodsky and Kyle Koeppel and vice chaired by Jackie Friedman, engages New York’s community-involved, socially conscious young leaders in their 20s and 30s. Through exclusive events, programs, and trips, Generosity inspires future philanthropists who will create positive, meaningful, and lasting changes in the lives of those most in need.

Generosity Leadership Board and Host Committee

Grace Bronstein, Jon Jesselson, and Tammy Schlosberg

The event featured Text-to-Pledge, a donor pledge technology that enables attendees to text message their gifts from their cell phones or PDAs and broadcast the results in real time on multiple screens in the event space. The technology is also designed to reach beyond the event space. Attendees’ friends and families and those unable to attend can also e-mail, phone, or text their gift during the event.

Grace Bronstein, Jonathan Jesselson, and Tammy Schlosberg chaired the Generosity Signature Event.

Funds raised support UJA-Federation of New York’s annual campaign, which sustains the activity of nearly 100 health, human-service, educational, and community-building agencies.

Peter Stern, Kyle Koeppel, Lee Brodsky, Jackie Friedman, and Aaron Zises

Jonathan Glass, Ben Okin, and David Nathan

Erica Sutton and Joshua Friedman

Jenny Halis and Erica Seidel

Courtney Grabel, Zachary Garber, and Melanie Baevsky

Blake Kohn Sonnenshein, Samantha Elfland, and Jaclyn Elfland

Jeff Stern, Amanda Schwartz, and Peter Stern

Lisa Richenstein

The candy table

Raising funds earmarked for Hanley Center's research-based prevention programs in local schools, the 18th Annual Family Picnic was held on February 10 during Wellington's Winter Equestrian Festival. The afternoon treated nearly 250 guests to world-class horse jumping competition, animal encounters, a magic show, kids' crafts and a silent auction geared just for children.

Sheriff Ric and Dorothy Bradshaw, Noah, Kelly, and Dr. Peter LoFaso

Located in West Palm Beach for more than 25 years, Hanley Center recently joined the Caron Treatment Centers network. As a result of this alliance of industry leaders, Caron and Hanley Center together became the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit addiction treatment provider in the country, focused on a 12-Step recovery program with a powerful clinical component.

Hanley Center's Prevention efforts aim to spare individuals the pain, loneliness and despair of alcoholism and chemical dependency. Prevention works – and our Substance Abuse Prevention efforts are another way for Hanley Center to help the people and communities that have embraced us since the day we opened our doors."

Nancy Hooker and Dr. Rachel Docekal

Led by event chairmen Lisa and Dan Thomas and son Jack, along with honorary chairmen, Dorothy and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and grandson, Noah LoFaso; the Family Picnic event committee included: Lyanne Azqueta, Robin Wheeler Azqueta and Norberto Azqueta, Krista Basore, Sally D. Chester, R.N., Kimmie and Steve Cury, Lindsay Del Campo, Lauren and Brett Elam, E. Mike Gelin, Suzanne Holmes, Monte Lambert, Lauren and Daniel Lieberman, Fran Marcone, Jennifer Marcone, Cinde and Craig Martin, Michelle McGovern, Mary Katherine Morales, Elizabeth Parker, Esq.; Kelly Ring, John Riordan, Esq.; Kellen Smith, Linda and Jared Soper, Cassidy and Jim Sullivan, and Ian B. Zinn.