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NEW YORK, NY, November 15, 2013 –
The
Children’s Aid Society
honored Mayor Bloomberg and Richard W.
Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman and
trustee of The Children’s Aid Society, at its third
annual gala, held yesterday at event space 583 Park
Avenue in New York City. The Keeping the Promise gala
– marking 160 years of service – raised a total of $1.6
million for Children’s Aid, which provides comprehensive
support for over 70,000 low-income children and families in
New York City each year at over 40 schools, community
centers, health clinics and through foster care services.
Mayor Michael
R. Bloomberg was
presented with the Public Service Award for his substantial
contributions to education reform and improving the lives of
New York City’s low-income children. Mayor Bloomberg was
cited for using his platform to shine a spotlight on poverty
and holding himself and his administration accountable for
moving the needle on it, especially for those who are most
often left out of the educational and economic mainstream of
our city and our country.
“It’s an honor
to receive this award – and I accept it on behalf of
everyone in our administration who has worked so hard to
fight poverty over the past 12 years,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
“I think it’s fair to say that no American city has battled
poverty more directly, or with more determination and
innovation, than New York. And while poverty in our city is
still much too high, there is no doubt that – without the
extraordinary investments we’ve made – it would be much
higher.”
Richard W.
Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman
and trustee of
The Children’s Aid Society received the Promise Award for
his commitment to serving our city’s neediest children.
Edelman is an active ambassador for The Children’s Aid
Society, serving on the Board of Trustees as co-chair of the
development committee, and advocate for corporate social
responsibility.
“Richard
Edelman has been a champion for the youth at our Frederick
Douglass Center in Harlem,” said Children’s Aid President
and CEO Richard R. Buery, Jr. “Richard and his wife Roz have
done everything from paying to fix the basketball court to
driving teams to tournaments. Richard Edelman’s dedication
to The Children’s Aid Society is unparalleled.”
The Children’s
Aid Society provides New York City’s children with holistic
services, from birth through young adulthood, in order to
put them on the path to college education, the surest way
out of poverty.
The event,
which drew 450 guests, was hosted by Karina Melendez, a
cancer survivor and sophomore at Columbia who entered
Children’s Aid’s foster care program at 15, and General
Washington, whose involvement with Children’s Aid began as a
toddler in Early Head Start and culminated with help
securing scholarships to CUNY College of Staten Island,
where he is currently studying biology.
A live auction
hosted by NBC-4’s Bruce Beck raised $75,000 from bids on
items such as pairs of Super Bowl tickets and a private
lunch with Giants coach Tom Coughlin.
The
Children’s Aid Society
is an
independent, not-for-profit organization established to
serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help
children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by
providing comprehensive supports to children and their
families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods.
Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most
innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s
neediest children. Services are provided in community
schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics and camps. For
additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at (212)
949-4938/ (917) 204-8214, email
anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org
or visit
www.childrensaidsociety.org.
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