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12th ANNUAL
KELLY GANG ST. PATRICK'S DAY BENEFIT
RAISES RECORD FUNDS FOR THE KIPS BAY BOYS AND
GIRLS CLUB
March 18, 2016 [New
York] - The Kelly Gang hosted their 12th annual
St. Patrick's Day Benefit, supporting the Kips Bay Boys and
Girls Club, on Wednesday, March 16. The evening raised over
$110,000 a record amount for the event. The benefit drew
nearly 200 guests to Michael's Restaurant in Manhattan.
The benefit, the Kelly
Gang's annual fundraiser held each year around St. Patrick's Day
with the goal of advancing the group's mission to ?help those
who need it most, was a gathering of leaders and influencers in
the media and publishing industries. Proceeds
from the event will support the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club as
they celebrate 100 years serving New York's neediest children in
their Bronx community. Kips Bay is part of a nationwide
movement of community based, autonomous Club organizations that
comprise the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. They help youth,
ages 6-18 become successful, responsible citizens and leaders.
More than 10,000 children a year come to Kips Bay to be
inspired, mentored, tutored, fed and loved.
"Everyone
in this room is a Kelly tonight," said Ed Kelly, Co-Founder and
President of The Kelly Gang. "It is amazing to see so many
supporters from long time sponsors and former
beneficiaries to friends and family. We could not be happier to
bring everyone together tonight to support the Kips Bay Boys and
Girls Club and all they are doing for the youth of the city."
The evening included
a live auction featuring two unique experiences including a
visit to the set of Fox News Channel's The
Kelly File including
a meet and greet with host Megyn Kelly; and a lunch with retired
NASA astronaut Mark Kelly. Guests enjoyed a performance by
Harpist Erin Hill.
"We are honored and appreciative of being chosen
as the Kelly Gang's beneficiary this year," remarked Dan
Quintero, Executive Director, Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.
"These funds will enable the Kips Bay Boys & and Girls Club to
feed, educate and empower disadvantaged youngsters from the
Bronx who need this kind of support in a great way! Kudos to
all the Kelly's that made this happen."
The Kelly Gang began in
the late 1990's as an impromptu group of media types with the
surname Kelly who happened to land a few good jobs. Tragedy
struck in 2003 when journalist Michael Kelly, one of the
original members, became the first American journalist killed in
the Iraq War. On St. Patrick's Day 2004 which would have been
Michael's 47th birthday the Kelly Gang held a benefit to
raise money for the Tom & Jack Kelly Education Fund, benefiting
Michael's sons. Since then, the St. Patrick's Day Benefit has
grown to include hundreds of participants, most of them actually
not named Kelly. To date, The Kelly Gang has raised more than
$600,000 for causes including: Alzheimer's Association- New York
City Chapter, The Bowery Mission, Breezy Point Disaster Relief
Fund, The
Kelly Cares Foundation, City Harvest, The
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, Tuesday's
Children, Catholic Relief Services in Haiti, The Doe Fund, The
Hunter's Hope Foundation, The Wounded Warrior Project, New
Orleans Catholic Charities Crescent House, Operation Helping
Hands, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the Annie Moore
Memorial Project and The
Tom and Jack Kelly Education Fund.
All of the proceeds go directly to the beneficiaries.
Kelly Gang members in
attendance included former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly; New York
Post 'Media Ink' columnist Keith Kelly; Good
Day New York anchor
Greg Kelly; Kelly Gang President Ed Kelly; SVP, Publishing
Director of the Hearst Design Group Kate Kelly Smith, and former
Weather Channel CEO Mike
Kelly. Additional guests included Cindi Leive, David Pecker,
Dave Zinczenko and
Tom Moran. Sponsors of the benefit included
American Media, Inc., Bankrate, Bonnier Corporation, Bloomberg,
Concern Worldwide U.S., Condé Nast, DKC, Meredith, Mutual of
America, Profiles, Rubenstein Communications Inc., Time Inc.,
Tribune Publishing, TRIPTENT, Vice, The Winifred & William
O'Reilly Foundation, and 50 Bleu.
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