The
Brotherhood/Sister Sol's 10th Annual Women's Holiday Tea
was held on Saturday, December 5th at the Columbia
University Faculty House. With record-breaking
attendance, heartfelt speeches, exquisite silent auction
selections, fine teas, and a gathering of remarkable
women - it was truly an affair to remember. The
Women’s Holiday Tea benefits programming for the
Brotherhood/Sister Sol (BHSS), a grassroots, nonprofit
organization providing comprehensive and long-term
support services to Black and Latino/a youth.
Each year, the Women's Holiday Tea is
graciously hosted by Gwynne Wilcox, a lawyer, and
Co-Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of BHSS. This
annual event brings together a dynamic group of
dedicated, professional women to enjoy an array of
aromatic teas, flavorful fare and a fabulous Silent
Auction in an intimate setting to promote, celebrate and
support the life-changing work of BHSS. What began with
tea service for 30 women in 2005, has grown to well over
150 accomplished professional women, well-known and
respected in the fields of law, academia, finance, the
arts, medicine, and philanthropy. All proceeds from the
Women’s Holiday Tea benefit BHSS holistic youth
development programs.
An emotional highlight of the Tea is
always hearing some of the BHSS youth talk about their
background and exposure to BHSS. This year Celeste
Bond, a current BHSS student and Yakosta Tineo, an
alumna and BHSS Board member took to the podium and
recounted their respective BHSS experiences to an
engaged and riveted audience. Another highlight of the
Holiday Tea each year is the signature Silent Auction,
and this year was the most spectacular one so far; some
of the many generous Silent Auction donors included:
Misty Copeland, and Squire Media, Miele USA, Louis
Licari Salon NYC, Coach, and Baccarat . Some other
product donors who helped make this year’s special
anniversary Women’s Holiday Tea a success are: Avenue
Magazine, Apollo Theater, Red Rooster Harlem, SOUND
Sparkling Tea, Sterling Ascots, Jonathan Grassi
Photography, Serendipi Tea, Joseph P. Gulbenkian, DDS,
Fashionista Tea, and shOO, Inc.
As the afternoon’s festivities drew to a
close, there wasn't a dry eye in the room when the 2015
Tea Committee (June Blain Joseph, Brenda Dillon Cavette,
Samantha Dulaney, Farah Griffin, Dawne Marie Grannum,
Carolyn Minick Mason, Iris Roman, Wendell Shepherd, and
Katherine Knight Wilcox) presented the event’s fabulous,
dedicated, and totally surprised host, Gwynne Wilcox
with a beautiful blue Tiffany box containing an
exquisite Elsa Peretti Open Center Cuff. It really was
an affair to remember.
BHSS Mission: Founded in 1995 by two
Brown University graduates, Khary Lazarre-White and
Jason Warwin, BHSS provides holistic and long-term
support services to youth who range in age from eight to
twenty-two. BHSS offers comprehensive programming, which
includes after school services, school and home
counseling, summer camps, job training, college
preparation, employment opportunities, community
organizing training, and international study programs to
Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Over 95% of
BHSS alumni members are working full time or enrolled in
college, and have attended such institutions as Yale
University, Brown University, Columbia University,
George Washington University, Howard University, New
York University and assorted CUNY and SUNY campuses.