Last Monday evening Children’s Defense Fund-New York threw its annual Beat the Odds Gala at the Pierre in New York City.
[slideshow]The star-studded event invited over 275 guest to celebrate the achievements of five local high school scholars, who overcame multiple challenges ranging from homelessness and bullying to poverty and physical and verbal abuse. Television personality, Star Jones hosted the event where renowned stage and screen actors LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson and business leader Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and CEO of TIAA-CREF, were honored for their longstanding commitment to CDF’s No Child Behind mission.
This year’s Beat The Odds amazing scholars included Aesron Jeremiah, 17, (William Maxwell High School in Brownsville), Elham Chowdhury, 17, (Bronx High School of Science in Norwood), Ruben Suazo, 17, (Leadership and Public Service High School in East Flatbush), Sashagale Moore, 18, (Queens Preparatory Academy in Jamaica), and Shirleyka Hector, 17, (International High School at Lafayette in Canarsie).
The gala even had auctioneer CK Swett bring some fun to the program auctioning off a bottle of champagne, a minute-long personal greeting from Samuel L. Jackson- who wouldn’t want that?- and the chance to attend a New York Knicks game where you sit courtside with Spike Lee. As if that wasn’t cool enough Lee sweetened the deal by including a pre-game dinner at Madison Square Garden, driving up the price to $13,000.
Some special guest who attended include the Children’s Defense Fund Founder and President, Marian Wright Edelman and Gala Co-Chairs and presenters: Malaak Compton-Rock, Paulina Porizkova, Marva Smalls, Ric Ocasek, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Rosie Perez, Hill Harper, June Ambrose, Emme Aronson and many others.
If you would like to know more about these outstanding scholars check out their stories here.