2024 Spring Benefit
Thank you to the more than 500 supporters who joined us to honor Gregory J. Fleming, President and CEO of Rockefeller Capital Management, who received the Jill Chaifetz Award, and our Education Champion, Irais D. Magdaleno, whose rousing speech brought the audience to their feet.
Special thanks to our generous sponsors; our emcee, Andrew Ross Sorkin; our event co-chairs; and all those who gave during the text-to-pledge for helping us cross the finish line of AFC’s Right to Learn Campaign. Because of their generosity, we exceeded our goal.
2023 Spring Benefit
Thank you to everyone who joined us to honor Richard M. Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins LLP, who received the Jill Chaifetz Award, and our 2023 Education Champion, Charlotte Coté.
Special thanks to our generous sponsors; our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Kornacki, National Political Correspondent, NBC News and MSNBC; our event co-chairs; and all those who donated to our Fund-A-Need in support of AFC’s Early Childhood Education Project. Donations to the Fund-A-Need will support advocacy to ensure that the children with the greatest need have access to high-quality early childhood education, giving them a strong start in school and in life.
2022 Spring Benefit
It was a night to remember as Advocates for Children of New York honored Eric F. Grossman, recipient of the 2022 Jill Chaifetz Award, and our 2022 Education Champion, Hamza Bani-Hani on May 4 at the 2022 Spring Benefit. Special thanks to our generous sponsors; our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Kornacki, National Political Correspondent, NBC News and MSNBC; our event committee members; and all those who made gifts to AFC at our donation stations to support our work.
2021 Spring Benefit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we replaced our Spring Benefit in 2021 with a series of smaller, virtual gatherings, where we shared a video featuring Education Champion Jeurry Amarante being interviewed by Craig Melvin, News Anchor, TODAY, Co-Host, Third Hour, TODAY, Anchor, MSNBC’s Craig Melvin Reports.
2019 Spring Benefit
Thank you to everyone who joined us at Tribeca Rooftop on May 21, 2019, as we honored Anne M. Finucane and Tayloni Mazyck! Special thanks to our generous donors and to all those who made a fund-a-need donation to support our vital work to improve school accessibility.
2018 Spring Benefit
AFC’s 2018 Spring Benefit was held Wednesday, June 13, at Three Sixty° in lower Manhattan. We were thrilled to honor Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, and Manuel De Jesus Figueroa, high school student and AFC client.
2017 Spring Benefit
2016 Spring Benefit
Thank you to everyone who supported AFC’s 2016 Spring Benefit! On June 8, more than 600 guests joined us at Three Sixty° in downtown Manhattan to honor our award recipients, Marc and Cathy Lasry and Yshamar Gestine. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our 75 sponsors and our many individual supporters, we raised a record amount to help New York City students in the coming year!
Learn more about Yshamar in this interview with benefit presenter Hoda Kotb, Co-Anchor, TODAY, for SiriusXM radio:
2015 Spring Benefit
Thank you to everyone who supported AFC’s 2015 Spring Benefit! On May 6, more than 600 guests joined us at 360° in downtown New York City to celebrate this year’s honorees, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, TIAA-CREF, and Asha Johnson-Steptoe and Ayanna Johnson S., AFC clients and 2015 high school graduates. This year’s event was our most successful yet. In addition to the incredible generosity of our sponsors and ticket buyers, we surpassed our goal of raising $50,000 for our Early Childhood Education Project! Thanks to your support, AFC will remain on the front lines, ensuring that the children with the greatest need have access to and are enrolled in high-quality Pre-K programs, giving them a strong start in school and in life.
2014 Spring Benefit
On May 7, 2014, Advocates for Children of New York welcomed more than 650 guests to 360˚ in lower Manhattan to celebrate another phenomenal year for our organization. Congratulations to our 2014 honorees, Eugene Ludwig and Al-Yasid Johnson! Special thanks are due to our record 63 Sponsors, as well as the many individuals who donated during the evening’s festivities to fund a much-needed new staff position for the AFC Helpline.
As Executive Director Kim Sweet noted, “More than 520,000 New York City students live in poverty and are eligible for AFC’s education advocacy. We are so grateful for our private donors’ ongoing and generous commitment, which will ensure we can provide thousands of struggling students and their families with expert legal representation, guidance and advocacy training in the coming year.”