Gala Dinner Dance: A Gorgeous Spectacle of Support for Henry Street
By Henry Street Settlement
If Mrs. Astor’s “Four Hundred” were considered the best of society during the Gilded Age in New York, that distinction now belongs to the 400 guests who attended Henry Street’s Gala Dinner Dance at the Plaza Hotel on April 4, 2013.
The annual event, which raises critical funds to support the Settlement’s programs, honored Reed Krakoff, President and Executive Creative Director of Coach and Reed Krakoff; Alexandra Lebenthal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lebenthal & Company LLC; and Carolina Gonzales-Bunster, Co-Founder of the Walkabout Foundation.
Following the cocktail hour, guests viewed a fast-paced video about Henry Street and were greeted by David Garza, Henry Street’s Executive Director. “I am humbled to stand before you — some of the most generous, most powerful and most influential people in the city. In the tradition of the Schiffs and the Pulitzers and the Rockefellers in whose tradition you follow, you consider all of New York City your neighborhood and your responsibility,” he said. “I congratulate you on your decision to use your influence to bring about change.” Garza noted that among the 27,000 nonprofits in New York that fight poverty, Henry Street is considered by the Robin Hood Foundation to be in the top one percent, in terms of effectiveness. Known for entertaining crowds, Garza did not disappoint: He performed a rap that incorporated all the honorees, to great applause and fanfare.
In accepting his award, Reed Krakoff, said that when he first visited Henry Street, what he witnessed “took my breath away.” He told the guests of an exchange he had earlier in the evening, with Garza’s wife, Gina. “She told me that she loves my work, and I responded that the work I do is pretty meaningless compared to the work your husband does.”
Krakoff thanked the Settlement for the award and the opportunity to bring attention to “such an amazing cause.” The award was presented by CNN national correspondent Alina Cho, who noted both Krakoff’s generosity and his success, and that fact that his designs are favored by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Alexandra Lebenthal, in accepting her award from David Patrick Columbia, editor-in-chief of the influential New York Social Diary, spoke of the importance of caring. “Caring should be like breathing,” she said.
Lebenthal said that she was “blown away” when she visited the Settlement and now considers its founder, Lillian Wald, her role model. “Lillian was the real thing,” she said.
In presenting the award to Carolina Gonzalez-Bunster, Henry Street Board Member Anna Pinheiro said that the young woman who has personally fitted 3,000 needy individuals with wheelchairs to increase their mobility — and dignity — was just getting started. Gonzalez-Bunster told attendees that she was both honored and humbled, giving special mention to her family and her brother Louis, who is her “inspiration.”
Chairs for the event were Natalia Gottret Eschavarria, Kaliope Karella, Angela Mariani, Melisa Melling, Anna Pinheiro, Pilar Crespi Robert, Lesley Schulhof and Barbara von Bismark.
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