Xerox Announces $250,000 Grant at Event
April 8, 2011 - By Susan LaRosa
The hottest ticket in town last night was Henry Street's 2011 Spring Dinner Dance, a sold-out event to honor Richard S. Abrons, President of The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation and Vice Chairman of Henry Street; Ursula M. Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation, who participated in Henry Street's programs as a child; and Lauren Bush, Co-Founder and CEO of FEED Projects.
Co-chairs of the Dinner Dance, held at the beautifully decorated Grand Ballroom at the Plaza Hotel, were Veronica Bulgari, Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti, Kalliope Karella, Angela Mariani, Anna Pinheiro, Pilar Crespi Robert and Lesley Schulhof.
Opening the evening, Angela Mariani said, "When I mention to people that I'm on the Board of Henry Street Settlement, there is almost always a flash of recognition and a murmur of heartfelt approval." Her talk was followed by the debut of Henry Street's video, a multimedia look at the agency's work.
The evening is an important fundraiser to support Henry Street's vital social service, arts and health care programs. And raise money it did. Ms. Burns, while accepting her award, told attendees that "one of the valuable lessons my mother taught me is if you're invited to someone's home for dinner, you shouldn't arrive empty handed.
"So in honor of everything my mother taught me — and in appreciation for everything Henry Street gave me — I'm thrilled to announce that the Xerox Foundation has approved a $250,000 grant to Henry Street's Expanded Horizons [college prep] program."
Ms. Burns told of her world being confined to the grayness of the Baruch Houses, a public housing project on the Lower East Side, until she discovered Henry Street when she was eight years old. "An entire new world opened up to me — a world of color and vibrancy and possibility," she said. "It all stoked in me the desire and the drive to be someone and to dream of what might be."
"Thank you for what you continue to do for the people of the Lower East Side — people like David Santos," she said, referring to the Henry Street Expanded Horizons client who lives in the Baruch Houses and introduced Ms. Burns at the event. The always gracious Ms. Burns took a moment to recognize Jennifer Sessions, Mr. Garza's executive assistant, who originally suggested her as the gala honoree.
Introducing Mr. Abrons, the event's first honoree, Henry Street Executive Director David Garza, noted that his family's foundations have been the single greatest source of financial support in the history of the Settlement. "His vision and support have been a backbone of the City's settlement houses, and he has been a philanthropic leader in the arts, the environment and in just about every way that improves the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods," said Mr. Garza.
Then donning a top hat, Mr. Garza, broke out in song, serenading Mr. Abrons with a very special rendition of “You’re the Top” complete with personalized lyrics, to rousing laughter and applause. On a more serious (and spoken) note, Mr. Garza said, “Richard is truly the heart and soul of Henry Street and he is family. He inspires us and is a vital part of our DNA.” He called Mr. Abrons “Donor of the Century,” a “promotion” he said, from a Wall Street Journal article that featured him in its Donor of the Day column last year.
In accepting his award, Mr. Abrons asked the audience to indulge him as he recounted his family's history with Henry Street. He hardly had to ask; attendees were transfixed as he told the story of how Lillian Wald, Henry Street's founder helped his grandmother, a widowed mother of five, get work so she could care for her family. It's a debt the family has been repaying since 1896. Mr. Abrons, who has been on Henry Street's board for 43 years, noted that his involvement with the agency predates even that — he was a camp counselor and while in fifth grade visited with Lillian Wald in her Connecticut house. "I remember that day like it was yesterday," he said.
"You can understand how much this award means to me and how it would have meant a great deal to my parents, to know that their children and grandchildren are still involved in Henry Street," said Mr. Abrons. Through his family's philanthropy, the Abrons Arts Center, the Workforce Development Center, the Parent Center and the Abrons/Aranow Scholarship continue to help Henry Street serve New York's most vulnerable individuals.
"Today, there are 38 settlement houses in New York. All are worthy, but none are more worthy than Henry Street," he said, as the audience broke into applause.
Introducing Ms. Bush, Lesley Schulhoff said that she represents the future of philanthropy and compared her youth to that of Lillian Wald's, who was just 26 when she founded Henry Street. Ms. Bush spoke about her arrival in New York City, driving a rental truck here, to her sixth-floor walk-up apartment on the Lower East Side. She spoke of the glamorous side of the neighborhood, but also recognized that there remains great need among many of its residents.
"Henry Street is making a great difference," said Ms. Bush who, like Lillian Wald, had a transformational moment that prompted her to found FEED Projects. "When I toured the Settlement, I was amazed by Henry Street," she said, acknowledging her gratitude with being honored by the organization. "I'm concerned with hunger, and being a food person, I was very happy to see freshly cooked food being served to clients at the agency."
Other highlights of the event included a live and silent auction.
