The CAW staff, Teaching Artists, Youth Apprentices, and Board Members who made the 2024 Benefit a huge success
Many thanks to all the sponsors, donors, partners, and friends who helped to make our April Annual Benefit for Kids possible! Not only was our event a night to remember, it was also a resounding success. A huge shoutout to our generous corporate and individual donors who contributed a record-breaking $1.1 million! These vital funds make up approximately half of our budget for the coming year and will enable CAW to offer transformative creative youth development opportunities to thousands of young New Yorkers.
Guests decorated their own canvas tote. bags
Nearly 500 guests savored wine, cocktails and delicious hors d'oeuvres while the rhythms of Latin jazz mingled with the sound of laughter and conversation. In a lively pop-up gallery, our talented Youth Apprentices engaged guests in vibrant conversations about hundreds of examples of youth-created artwork, including a screening of a short film of oral histories from El Barrio.
Our friends from CANVS were on hand to demo our new interactive mural map. Premier and Diamond Sponsors enjoyed a VIP cocktail hour before the main event featuring wines from the private collection of Neil Goldmacher. And many people engaged in the two community art-making activities.
2024 Honorees and presenters
We are grateful to our wonderful honorees: Heather Kahn, Senior Vice President, BXP; John Drew, President, District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; and John O’Hare, Managing Director, Building Contractors Association. We also presented Youth Honoree Awards to three of our Teaching Artist Assistants-in-Training. It was a delight to present Tom Hill, Senior Vice President, BXP, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His remarks were a highlight of the evening.
Thanks also to our Host Committee for their tireless fundraising efforts. We also want to say a huge thank you to our CAW staff and our Teaching Artists who worked tirelessly to make this event a reality. Thanks to our presenters Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, Scott Corneby, Executive Vice President of Structure Tone, and our own Madeline De Léon. Finally, thanks to BXP for hosting the event at 360 Park Avenue South.
To get a more expansive view of the evening, we invite you to check out the photo galleries, watch the recap video, read the benefit journal, and interact with our new web-based public art map. Or just keep reading to learn more…
Relive the Event!
Honoring our Teaching Artist
Assistants-in-Training!
This year, we honored three of our exemplary former youth apprentices who are now serving with CAW as Teaching Artist Assistants-in-training, Jonathan Hyman, Stephanie Diaz, and Yotzin Reyes. The awards were presented by Program Associate & Teaching Artist Assistant Maddie De Léon.
Teaching Artist Assistant-in-training Jonathan Hyman with his mom
Teaching Artist Assistant-in-training Yotzin Reyes
Teaching Artist Assistant-in-training Stephanie Diaz
Award Presenter Maddie De Léon
Thanks to our Honorees!
Heather Kahn
2024 Honoree
Senior Vice President
BXP
“CAW delivers on its mission to empower young people through the arts and to make New York City a better place. Tonight, I hope all of you take the opportunity to speak to the young artists here and view their extraordinary work that's on display throughout the floor. You will get a glimpse, just like I did, of how life-changing their experiences with Creative Art Works have been."
John Drew
2024 Honoree
President
District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
“Growing up in the South Bronx, somebody gave me an opportunity, much like CAW gives opportunities to these children and young adults. And today I stand here humbly before you as the president of this great union. We also believe in giving back and giving young people an opportunity.”
John O’Hare
2024 Honoree
Managing Director
Building Contractors Association
“The Building Contractors Association and Creative Art Works share that same commitment to educating, training and motivating the next generation. Your public art youth employment programs provide hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities for students. These not only create large-scale public art throughout the city, they instill the principals of hard work, self-esteem, and the path to success.”
Tom Hill
Lifetime Achievement Award
Senior Vice President
BXP
“I remember going to see children doing a Creative Art Works program and what really struck me was that we had created purpose for these young people. We're all here tonight in the name of humanity and decency and kindness, and in being that way we create abundance that goes on repeating itself time after time.”
Thanks to our Leading Sponsors
Thank You from our Host Committee
Board Members
Andrew Levin
Chair
Brian Ricklin
President
Steven Soutendijk
Treasurer
Julia Sanabria
Secretary
Lauren Cascio
Mosely Chaszar
Scott Corneby
Charmaine Davis-Murray
Neil Goldmacher
Gail Holcomb
Cary Levy
Angela Pennyfeather
Andrew Stern
Tiffany Theriault
Benefit Co-Chairs
Whitney Arcaro
Joseph Azzopradi
Peter Brindley
Keith Cody
David Cheikin
Frank Doyle
Robert Finger
Mark Furman
Brian Goldman
David A. Green
Michael Kleinberg
David Kleiner
Gary LaBarbera
Charlie Laginestra
Robert Lowe
John Maher
Greg Marron
Jerome Montrone
Bruce Mosler
Doug Neye
Joe Scarinci
Peter Turchin
Lorenzo Vascotto
Cynthia Wasserberger
Glen Weiss
Richard Weiss
Special Thanks
We are grateful for generous discounted good and services from: