United Hospital Fund paid tribute at its October 1st Gala to Stanley Brezenoff, Debra G. Perelman, and the Afya Foundation—for outstanding contributions to improving health and health care.
More than 500 guests attended the event at Cipriani 42nd Street, which raised almost $1.3 million for United Hospital Fund. “Our three honorees truly embody the ideals of United Hospital Fund and our mission to build a more effective health care system for all New Yorkers, especially the most vulnerable,” said Anthony Shih, MD, MPH, president of UHF.
Mr. Brezenoff received the Health Care Leadership Award in recognition of his long career as an exceptional public servant and his many contributions to the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.
Ms. Perelman, the President and CEO of Revlon, received the Distinguished Community Service Award for her role as co-founder and vice chair of the Child Mind Institute, which is dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders. This award was generously supported by TIAA and presented by Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., TIAA’s President and CEO.
Afya Foundation was given a Special Tribute for its vital assistance to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and responses to crises worldwide. Danielle Butin, Afya’s Founder and Executive Director, accepted the award.
J. Barclay Collins II, chairman of UHF’s board, served as Gala chairman.
On October 2nd, Solar One held its annual Oktoberfest event at Stuyvesant Cove Park. The event was attended by 300 people and raised $68,000 to support Solar One’s programs. Solar One’s mission is to provide education and resources that create more sustainable and resilient urban environments. Solar One empowers learning that changes the way people think about energy, sustainability, and resilience by engaging and educating a diverse set of stakeholders and beneficiaries. Its programs help individuals and communities explore new ways of living and working that are more adaptive to a changing world.
On Tuesday, October 2, 2018, Jonas Nursing and Veterans Healthcare hosted its 7th Annual Jonas Golf Classic at the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York. Eighteen teams of golfers turned out for the daylong event, which raises funds for the advancement of care and treatment for veterans. This year’s event raised $228,000 – bringing the total raised from the Golf Classic to $1.9 million since 2012, supporting nearly 330 Scholars in all 50 states.
Guests enjoyed an exclusive golf clinic with PGA professional Michael Breed, one of the Top 50 Golf Instructors in America by both Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine. Brigadier General (Ret.) William Bester, Senior Advisor of the Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program, gave opening remarks prior to the shotgun start, and the day concluded with a dinner program, awards ceremony, and entertainment from award winning Jazz pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton. The Golf Classic was co-chaired by Jonas Philanthropies co-founder Donald Jonas, Jonas Philanthropies treasurer and director John Jonas, Jonas Nursing and Veterans Healthcare Advisory Board member Dr. Margaret McClure and event sponsor and Advisory Board member Adam Usdan. The event was made possible by the support of several generous sponsors, including gold sponsor Olympus Partners.
The Golf Classic benefits Jonas Philanthropies’ Veterans Healthcare Program, an initiative that equips nurses to treat the complex needs of America’s veterans, with focus on TBI, mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD, suicide prevention, traumatic injury, transitional challenges, hearing and visual impairments, military sexual trauma, women’s health and aging.
On Thursday, September 27th, philanthropist and art collector Roni Willett and visual artist Walid Layadi-Marfouk hosted the closing reception for Second Generations, a non-profit art show at Africa House, a pop-up members club that coincided with the 2018 UN General Assembly week, dedicated exclusively to high-level officials from over 27 African delegations. From September 24th to 27th, heads of state, state ministers, ambassadors and their top aides convened in a Beaux-Arts mansion with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, artists and designers who all share mutual connections to Africa.
Notable guests to Africa House and Second Generations included President of Benin Patrice Talon, Gabon Ambassador to the United States Michael Mouussa-Adamo, Mozambique Ambassador to the United States Carlos dos Santos, Naomi Campbell, Dayo Okeniyi, Young Paris, Renée Willett, Richard Phillips, Isaac Ferry, John Targon, Alexandre Assouline, Pietro Quaglia, Nachson Mimran, Omar Hernandez, Tyler Tananbaum, Eve Therond and Julio Mario Santo Domingo III.
Second Generations featured the work of 15 artists connected to more than a dozen countries of the Global African Diaspora, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kehinde Wiley. The exhibition explored the power, heft and beauty of a multiplicity of identities across the African continent and its diasporas – transgressing and transcending borders.
Second Generations was a non-profit show. The curators took no commission, and all proceeds go straight to the artists. The artists were also encouraged to make a donation to arts & education programs in Morocco and South Africa.
Photographs by Annie Watt (Solar One); Jared Siskin/PMC (Second Generations); Olivier Kpognon, O&Co. Media Group (Jonas Philanthropies)
