Contributed photo
Guests attending the Delicious Partnership conversation heard from food entrepreneurs working with CitySeed and LEAP before enjoying Caribbean food at the Q House.
The following writeup was submitted by Nicole Jefferson, the communications coordinator for the youth services nonprofit Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership, Inc.
New friends, intriguing subjects, and delicious food were all the rage at Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership, Inc. (LEAP)’s 28th annual LEAP Year Event fundraiser.
The fundraiser brought together public officials, business professionals, philanthropic donors, and volunteers all in support of furthering LEAP’s mission to give young people tools and experiences to enable them to become leaders in their communities.
This year’s event raised a vital $350,000 between sponsorships, ticket sales, a bid-down auction, and donations.
LEAP is an educational nonprofit serving children and youth in New Haven ages 7 to 24 started in 1992. Their children’s program provides free after-school and summer programs to kids ages 7 – 12 at seven different school sites in six neighborhoods. LEAP’s 13 – 15-year old Leaders in Training (LITs) are based out of the Jefferson Street Roslyn Milstein Meyer Community Center and engage in workshops on self-confidence, financial literacy, and conflict management. They also participate in swimming instruction, theater classes, photography, dance and more. 14 – 15-year old LITs work in paid internships where they learn from Counselors and Site Coordinators how to teach literacy lessons. The 16 – 18-year-olds in LEAP’s program are Junior Counselors and have access to resources to help them prepare for college including college advising, college tours, and weekly check-ins with LEAP staff and leadership. College-aged students 18 – 24 serve as Senior Counselors and mentor youth by leading them through an evidence-based literacy curriculum and guiding youth in fun activities related to the books they are reading. Counselors also receive their own support by participating in leadership and career training workshops.
For many Counselors, working at LEAP is their first job. Additionally, many who start in LEAP’s programs as children go all the way through the program and come back as Counselors to mentor a new generation of children. LEAP is proud to offer these free services to youth and teens thanks in large part to the funds raised at LEAP Year Event, 100 percent of which go towards maintaining programming free of charge.
The Feb. 23 event saw over 550 attendees across Greater New Haven, New York, and even in different parts of the country, thanks to four virtual dinner conversations.
LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez welcomes guests to the live virtual reception.
The evening began with a virtual opening reception and a welcome from LEAP Executive Director, Henry Fernandez.
Guests then heard from three honorees receiving the LEAP Community Service award: U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, State Rep. Toni Walker, and long-time LEAP volunteer Bonnie Scarborough. All three honorees praised LEAP for being a vital community resource.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro thanks LEAP for her honor as a recipient of the LEAP Community Service Award.
DeLauro reflected on why she continues to support LEAP and be an advocate for children and families: “I have seen first-hand the impact these programs have on young people’s lives. That is why I was thrilled to support LEAP and our city’s children by securing funding last year that included construction and capital improvements to the 100-year-old LEAP Roslyn Milstein Meyer Community Center.”
During the opening reception, attendees heard from Assistant Site Coordinator at the Dwight Kensington site Justin Short who started at LEAP as a Junior Counselor in 2021. “When I became a Senior Counselor, the site coordinator De’Zhane ended up giving me tips about being more engaged with the parents and kids, and how to run dismissal. She has helped set me up for success in my role now as Assistant Site Coordinator.”
The opening reception also showed a slideshow of photos from the summer program of kids rolling down hills at Anne and Guido Calabresi’s farm or touching starfish on a field trip to the Mystic Aquarium. LEAP is a space that allows kids to just be kids. Their philosophy, rooted in values of community and connection, is evident not only in its programming but also in its fundraising!
LEAP Year Event fosters community and connection because it allows guests to have a personal and intimate experience. For some who prefer smaller crowds and feel overwhelmed at galas in big ballrooms, the dinner-table setting of the LEAP Year Event creates a non-intimidating, casual, and warm atmosphere. With only about 12 to 20 guests at each dinner at the hosts’ homes, there is an opportunity to really get to know others. LEAP Year Event welcomes supporters old and new. For many, it was their first LEAP Year Event. With approximately 130 first-time attendees, there was plenty to discover about LEAP!
Guests attend the conversation Freedom Reads with Guest of Honor Reginald Dwayne Betts. Betts is a poet, lawyer, and prison reform advocate. He spoke about the importance of access to literature in prisons.
Following the opening virtual reception, guests headed to their choice of 19 different in-person dinners where they engaged in conversation with special guests of honor including author Nicholas Dawidoff, local food entrepreneurs Maxine Harris, Kismet Douglass, and Cortney Renton, and Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale University Art Gallery Stephanie Wiles. The relevant and thought-provoking topics ranged from the war in Ukraine to the urgency of climate change to healthcare treatment for incarcerated individuals. Some conversations featured a private tour of the Beinecke Library and a special conversation preceding Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the Shubert Theatre.
Guests of Honor Emily Bazelon and Ross Douthat speak with an attendee during the Q&A portion of their conversation, “A Matter of Civility.”
Thursday’s most attended Zoom discussion with over 50 participants was “A Matter of Civility” with special guests Emily Bazelon and Ross Douthat, hosted by Allie Perry and Charles Pillsbury. Bazelon and Douthat discussed the threat of divisive politics and how to help people engage in productive, meaningful conversations with people with whom they don’t always agree.
Lindsay Wright plays violin while Braxton Shelley plays piano at a dinner conversation about gospel music.
Patricia and Davis Gammon hosted Reverend Dr. Braxton Shelley to discuss gospel music and insights from his new book: Healing for the Soul: Richard Smallwood, the Vamp, and Gospel Imagination. Guests enjoyed hearing a piano performance from Shelley and Assistant Professor of Music at Yale, Lindsay Wright.
You can read more about the dinner conversation with the Executive Director of the Friends Center for Children Allyx Schiavone hosted by Francine Farkas Sears in an article from the Independent here.
LEAP shares in the belief in the importance of quality childcare. This past year alone, LEAP expanded to serve over 1500 children and youth in New Haven. They also launched a new phonics literacy program which is being piloted at three of their sites. Most recently, LEAP hired a new Academic Success Coordinator who will work with the high school students on their college application process and addressing any academic gaps. They recognize that since the pandemic, more and more colleges have shifted away from using standardized tests as key determinants in their admissions. Their students have their stories to tell and we are proud to provide them with support to help them communicate their stories.
They are also gearing up for their spring break college tour in which high school students will have the opportunity to visit colleges in Atlanta and Washington D.C. as well as planning a field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for their high school students. In addition to the college tour and field trips, LEAP plans to expand programs this summer that they had to pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic including the overnight wilderness camping program and the aquatics program night classes. All these opportunities offer kids space to explore!
Thank you to everyone who attended and continues to support LEAP. Your contributions allow New Haven’s children and youth from historically disinvested neighborhoods to expand their knowledge, find new passions, and build close friendships. In particular, LEAP would like to thank their top sponsors: Noble Wealth Advisors of Janney Montgomery Scott, Roger Ibbotson, The George Ellis Co., Roz & Jerry Meyer, Stacey & Hap Perkins with Unicorr Packaging Group, Carol Sirot, Bill Aseltyne & Jeff Stryker, Grace & Jay Bright, and many more! Together, we are moving forward in creating a New Haven for our children.
Learn more about LEAP or donate today at www.leapforkids.org