Dash Snow Initiative Celebrates with BGR Youth
By Henry Street Settlement
Nearly one year after the Dash Snow Initiative raised more than $1 million for Henry Street’s Boys & Girls Republic (BGR), members of the Initiative broke bread (and chicken and risotto) with the young people benefiting from the funds at a celebratory dinner. The evening brought together the BGR youth – many of whom live in nearby public housing — with the friends and family of the late Dash Snow.
After greetings by David Garza, Executive Director of Henry Street; Teddy Liouliakis, a member of the Dash Snow Initiative; and Simone Griffith-Petrie, the new social worker whose position is supported by the Initiative, several of the youth spoke about what the community center means to them: “BGR is my home, it’s my family,” said one participant. “BGR plays an important part of my life; it’s made me a better person,” said another. “I feel equal here,” said a young girl, who joined to play basketball.
In a poignant talk, artist Dan Colen, who is a member of the Initiative, told the audience, “As inspired and awesome as Dash was, he faced a lot of adversity and felt like an outsider. Maybe if he had a place like this, he wouldn’t have.
“The Dash Snow Initiative is one way of turning a negative into a positive,” said Colen. “It is helping young people to pursue their dreams.
In 2009, Dash Snow — a major force in the downtown art scene — died at the age of 27, leaving behind a partner, Jade Berreau, a baby daughter and a legion of dear friends. This close-knit circle formed the Dash Snow Initiative as a way to honor his legacy. They organized an art auction held last December at Art Basel Miami, which raised $1 million. The funds are being used for a social worker to enhance services for the low-income youth at BGR.
“At BGR, we’ve always offered sports and recreation, after-school academic support and other activities, but we lacked the ‘glue’ to pull it all together,” said Garza. “The Dash Snow Initiative gave us the means to hire a social worker whose long-term employment is guaranteed by the funding, so we can now offer a full range of essential support services to the families at BGR.”
Those who attended the dinner included Jade Berreau and her daughter Secret, Dan Colen, Sy and Harriet Colen, Nico Dios, Martine Malle, Teddy Liouliakis, and Yvette Quiazon. Also attending were Dash Snow’s grandmother, Christophe de Menil, his great-aunt Adelaide de Menil, and his sister Caroline Snow.
