Contributed Photo
A pre-pandemic fundraiser.
(Odette Wang of LEAP sent in this article.)
Have you been missing opportunities for community connection and conversation in the midst of the pandemic? Look no further – LEAP has put together a unique evening of learning and community, unlike any virtual event you’ve experienced before, all to support a great cause!
On Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 (with options for Feb. 27), LEAP will be hosting its 26th annual, first-ever virtual, LEAP Year Event fundraiser. All ticket proceeds will go directly toward LEAP’s after-school and summer mentoring programs.
These programs serve over 1,000 children and youth living in New Haven’s low-income neighborhoods. During a year of learning loss, social isolation and economic hardship, LEAP has continued to provide essential academic, enrichment and employment opportunities for young people, as well as direct food and rental assistance to New Haven families. In such a critical period of time, ticket sales make a big difference.
LEAP Year Event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a virtual reception. Depending on your preference, you can follow that at 7:15 p.m. with a smaller, more intimate conversation with one of our guests or a larger presentation.
This year, LEAP is delighted to support our local eateries with the option to purchase dinner. This includes your choice of meal from one of nine beloved local restaurants in the greater New Haven area: Anna’s Catering, Caffé Bravo, Camacho Garage, Quattro’s, Sandra’s Next Generation, September in Bangkok, Soul de Cuba, Union League Café, and Zinc. For those tuning in for the first time, enjoy a discounted “First Time Attendee” ticket. Whether you are a longtime member of the LEAP family, joining from afar for the first time, or new to LEAP and our mission, we have a place for you.
For 25 years, this event has brought the community together for a fascinating evening of conversation and fine dining across the Greater New Haven area in support of LEAP. The first LEAP Year Event dinner was held in 1995, when the late Louise Endel decided to host a fundraiser in a unique way: guests would split up into several small, intimate dinners generously hosted by LEAP friends. A notable “Guest of Honor” would be invited to each dinner, providing a special theme for the night’s discussions. Now, 26 years later, the tradition of LEAP Year Event remains. While we cannot gather in person, this year’s virtual LEAP Year Event will stay true to the original spirit of the night: learning, community, and conversation. This year’s fundraiser includes 16 separate conversations.
We are excited to have so many wonderful Guests of Honor to choose from, including Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, the first undocumented nominee for the National Book Award, Alasdair Neale, director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and Elisabeth Rosenthal, award-winning journalist to discuss the implications of current events on America’s complex healthcare system. Guests of Honor also include Emily Bazelon, a New York Times journalist and author who will be discussing free speech in the era of disinformation, and Marcella Nunez-Smith, newly named head of President Biden’s health equity task force focused on the pandemic.
Some special dinners will even feature an exclusive virtual tour of Yale University Art Gallery’s West Campus, with over 42,000 of the collection’s objects on display, or a family-friendly sneak peak into the much-anticipated renovations of Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History.
No matter your specific passion, be it entrepreneurship or art history or cooking, you are sure to discover a conversation that you can sink your teeth into with relish. To see the full list of Guests of Honor and topics of discussion, visit LEAP’s website here.
Join us at LEAP Year Event 2021 for a wonderful evening of conversation and community, while supporting LEAP’s programs for youth and local New Haven restaurants. The deadline for buying tickets is Feb. 21. Please buy tickets here. Conversations sell out quickly, so reserve your seat early!