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www.blacktiemagazine.com
Casita Maria's Annual Fiesta Gala
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(Photo by: PMC / Getty
Images)
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Jacqueline Weld
Drake welcomed friends at Casita Maria's annual
Fiesta Gala at the Plaza Hotel, arguably the
BEST party in New York. "I am so happy to see familiar
faces and also so many new ones so that we can continue to
grow and prosper" said Jackie, "But I am here to be brief
and grateful. I thank my co-hairs for the evening,
HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, George Corton, Daryl
Portes, Sissi Fleitas, Lydia Forbes, Thomas C, Quick,
and Jean Shafiroff. And a salute and a thank
you, to Felix Urritia Jr., the new Executive Director
of our organization."
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Dressed to the nines, the black-tie guests danced till near
midnight to the music of Bob Hardwick and his orchestra.
The tropical décor was designed by Full Moon. As has become
her tradition, Mary Snow (wearing head-to-toe red
lace) hosted the largest table in the room boasting friends
including
Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Laura and Diego Garcia,
Alexandra Lind Rose, Lesley Schulhof,
and
Marie Louise Slocum. |
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Adding gravitas to the evening Felix Urrutia Jr explained
“The neighborhood we serve - the South Bronx - depends on
us. On a daily basis we are dealing with the families that
are anxious, combative, and stressed, but they are also
hopeful and resilient. All they need is some help from
organizations like Casita Maria. Not a great deal, just some
attention, some affirmation, some love. With your support,
Casita Maria can fulfill our promise to remain responsible
stewards.” |
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Grammy Winning Producer Nelson J. Albareda, former
U.S. Ambassador to Morocco David Fischer with wife
philanthropist Jennifer Fischer, and SOMOS Community
Care Founder Dr. Ramon Tallaj were honored. Jennifer
Fischer from the stage shared, “David and I have spent our
lives believing that children’s future is the future of all
of us. Whether it's a job or self-esteem, or someone
believing in you, or in our class that gives you a moment's
respite. Casita Maria lives with this dream to the max.
We're incredibly honored to receive this.” Nelson J.
Albareda said “I'm honored to be here tonight, sharing this
beautiful evening with all of you, in celebration of an
organization that I think is not only groundbreaking, but
breaking ground for many, many years in the Latino
community. This organization creates a safe environment that
empowers our community. It's not every day a Cuban American
boy from Miami makes it to New York City to be honored so I
share this with all Latinos.” |
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Guests included Board Members and Trustees Martha Bograd,
Miguel A. Fuentes Jr.,
Michéle Gerber Klein, Patrick Moran, Gautam Patel, Benigno
Rodriguez-Cubeñas,
as well as Peter Bacanovic, Edgar Batista, Tina Beriro,
Estrellita & Daniel Brodsky, Sharon Bush, Carlos Campos, Lee
Fryd, Bradley Gibson, Margo Langenberg, Alicia Lubowski-Jahn,
Tony Marion, Juan Montoya, Darlyn Portes, Marc Rosen,
Gabriel Rivera-Barraza, Victor Roquette, Alexandra
Seegers, Kenny Thomas, Barbara Tober, and Charlie Ward.
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Casita Maria creates a safe and welcoming community,
enriching and uplifting youth and families towards success,
through shared cultural, art and educational experiences and
programs. Headquartered in the South Bronx, Casita Maria was
established in 1934 by Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan as the
first charitable organization to serve Latinos in New York
City. Operating from a five-room tenement apartment in East
Harlem, the Sullivan sisters, public school teachers who
were also relatives of TV personality Ed Sullivan, had a
primary mission to offer after school enrichment and
recreational activities for the children of newly arrived
families from Puerto Rico. Today, Casita Maria remains
dedicated to its original mission, delivering services to
the mostly Latino youth, and families of the Hunts Point
community it serves in the Bronx. In
2009, Casita Maria inaugurated a state-of-the-art facility
encompassing performance spaces, exhibition gallery, dance,
and music studios, and more on its Simpson Street campus.
This 90,000 square foot, six-story educational and cultural
facility in collaboration with the Department of Education
has enabled Casita Maria to expand its scope and capacities
as a beacon of excellence. |
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