Harlem-based nonprofit with proven track record aims to raise more than $1 million at its largest fundraiser of the year.
Event to honor community leadership of executives Richard J. Mack and Vincent A. Mai, DNA Panel discussion with HEAF Students led by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
NEW YORK , Sept. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF), a supplemental education nonprofit that provides afterschool, summer and weekend programs to empower underserved New York City students to pursue and obtain a college education, will host its 2011 Annual Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, September 21 to raise funds to support programming for its middle and high school students. The dinner, which is presented by sponsors including Bloomberg, Capital One and Lord & Taylor, aims to raise more than $1 million for the organization and will take place at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City at 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by the HEAF Board of Directors, the evening will honor the accomplishments and community leadership of Richard J. Mack, North America Chief Executive Officer of AREA Property Partners, and Vincent A. Mai, Chairman of AEA Investors.
HEAF students along with Harvard Professor and HEAF Board of Directors member Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will engage the audience in a stimulating panel discussion that explores the students' ancestry, DNA and family history in a format similar to his popular television series "Faces of America." Attendees will also be invited to participate in a live "Call to Action" for an opportunity to sponsor innovative HEAF Programs.
"We are excited to welcome both new and longtime friends and sponsors to HEAF's 2011 Annual Benefit Dinner and hope this will be our most successful fundraiser to date," said Calvin Sims, Chairman of the HEAF Board of Directors. "Education is the economic and social issue of our time. I'm proud to say that our supporters recognize not only this important issue but also HEAF's powerful, transforming impact on urban education and have invested in our organization. We value their partnership."
Funds raised by the Benefit Dinner will enable HEAF to further enrich its rigorous academic programs. "In today's educational system, in which our public schools are struggling and our high schools are graduating only about half of African-American and Latino students, we need another alternative for high-potential students who might otherwise fall through the cracks; supplemental education is that alternative," said HEAF President and Chief Executive Officer Danielle Moss Lee, Ed.D. "At HEAF, we have established a near-perfect track record of pushing students to get to college, graduate and establish successful careers. Our hope is to serve even more students in more locations in the future. Our benefit dinner will help us get one step closer to reaching that goal."
HEAF has had a profound impact on student achievement: 100 percent of participating students graduate high school, 98 percent are admitted into four-year colleges and universities, 95 percent graduate from college and one-third obtain advanced degrees. Because of this success, HEAF plans to extend its presence in Harlem and beyond ― another reason why HEAF's Annual Benefit Dinner plays a critical role in carrying the organization's mission forward.
Sponsors of HEAF's 2011 Annual Benefit Dinner include:
- AREA Property Partners
- Bloomberg
- Capital One Bank
- Ford Foundation
- Fox Rothschild LLP
- Greenberg Traurig, LLP
- Lord & Taylor
- New Vernon Capital Foundation
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
The dinner's previous honorees include Alexandra D. Korry, Brigadier General George B. Price and Merryl H. Tisch in 2010 and Judith Aidoo and Dr. Fareed Zakaria in 2009.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the 2011 Benefit Dinner are nearly sold out. For ticket information, contact Event Associate Delvina L. Smith at (212) 245-6570. For sponsorship information, contact HEAF's Danforth Preston at (212) 663-9732 ext. 37.
For more information about HEAF or to get involved, visit www.heaf.org.