A breathtaking sunset over the Hudson River, elegant sailboats flying in the wind, athletes in all sports, all added to the magic of the 50th Anniversary gala for the Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC).  Chelsea Piers has become the mecca for sw'elegant affairs, and the 50th gala celebrating the vital work of this service group was a star studded affair.

Supermodel Heidi Albertsen headed up the gala’s honorary committee and was joined by illustrious guests including:  Ramona Singer, Countess Luann De Lesseps, Justine Simmons and Daniel “Diggy” Simmons, Jill Larson, Kathy Brier, Bret Shuford, Stephen Hanna, Arlene Dahl and Marc Rosen, Carole Holmes, Edwina Sandys and Richard Kaplan, Barbara and Donald Tober, Gideon Lewin and Joanna Mastroianni, Caryl Stern, Karen Carpenter- Palumbo, Edward Tricomi and
Joel Warren.

50 years young - and nearly 1,400 New Yorkers living with substance abuse issues serviced daily.  The LESC is a life affirming and inspiring story of a charity which began as a tiny store-front on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1959 and has grown in size and outreach just as the City’s population of substance abusers has grown in number and diversity.

Today, LESC offers a variety of programs, including residential and out-patient chemical dependency treatment, a pregnant women and infants program, a housing complex for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, a Chinese program on the Lower East Side.  The LESC's newest venture Bridge2Life Camp and Kids Club provides a safe harbor for children whose parents have substance abuse histories.  The organization continues to grow and develop its unique approach to wellness, consistently offering “Help for Today, and Hope for Tomorrow.”

Melissa Russo of WNBC was the evening’s master of ceremonies.  It was a special moment when Edward Brown, the founder of the LESC, was honored posthumously for his landmark work.  Other honorees, Bruce D. Tindal, Executive VP of Bollinger, Inc. and Stanley Zareff, VP of corporate communications of Credit Suisse, were recognized for their generosity of time and spirit to the LESC.