Learning Leaders News Flash
Learning Leaders Celebrates 50th Birthday, Honors Bloomingdale's, Jane Friedman, and Peter Kraus at Stuyvestant High School Gala
New York, November 5th, 2007 - Since 1956, Learning Leaders (formerly the NYC School Volunteer Program) has recruited and trained New Yorkers to serve as volunteers in the city’s public schools. Currently the organization trains and supports 14,000 volunteers in 960 schools, including 90% of all elementary schools. These volunteers work on average 3.9 days a week and help 265,000 New York City school children. Learning Leaders will celebrate its half-century milestone with a gala benefit at Stuyvesant High School. The event has raised $1.1 million, and 400+ guests are expected.
The gala will honor Bloomingdale’s (award to be accepted by Michael Gould, Chairman and CEO), HarperCollins President & CEO Jane Friedman, and Peter Kraus of Goldman Sachs. The event is chaired by Cayre & Alexis Michas and by Ellen & George Needham. The co-chairs include Arlene & Reuben Mark (of Colgate-Palmolive), Edith Cassidy, and John Redpath. Former and current volunteers who will attend include Elsie Aidinoff, Kitty Fisk Ames, Nancy Fessenden, Ruth Friendly, Arlyn Gardner, Cynthia Greenleaf Fanton, Mary Rodgers Guettel, Mary & Paul Lambert, Helen Judlowe, author/illustrator Maira Kalman (who produced original artwork for the event invitation), Eugene Lang, Margery Oakes, and Pamela Grunder Sheiffer. Special guests include U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Learning Leaders Chairman Iris Weinshall Schumer, Paula Cooper, Hans Haacke, Carol and Sofia LeWitt, Mike Dukmejian, and Diane von Furstenberg. NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will speak.
Learning Leaders volunteer and trustee Dana Tyler will serve as guest emcee. New York Times columnist, children’s book author and volunteer Bob Morris will perform (on ukulele) a song composed by Marvin Hamlisch for Learning Leaders’ 25th birthday: One on One. The Curtis High School Jazz Ensemble will perform.
Monday, November 5, 2007. Cocktails 6:30; dinner 7:30. A classic yellow school bus will whisk guests from P.S. 6 on the Upper East Side to lower Manhattan, departing at 5:30 sharp. At approximately 8:10 p.m., guests will relive a quintessential high school ritual: the cafeteria line.
Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers Street at North End Avenue, Battery Park City.
Press Releases
- September 20, 2007
- Fifty-year-old not-for-profit kicks off Back-to-School volunteer drive
Learning Leaders, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization currently celebrating fifty years of service to New York City, will salute its active volunteers and call on New Yorkers city-wide to support the City’s public schools, school teachers and students through volunteerism. - March, 2007
- Learning Leaders Reaches out to Bronx Community
- September 26, 2006
- New Learning Leaders President Commits to Helping Immigrant Parents Navigate New York City Public Schools.
- May, 2006
- New York Life Funds Early College Awarness Program
- Learning Leaders, New York City's largest nonprofit organization that recruits, screens, trains and supports public school volunteers announced today that it was awarded a $87,000 grant from the New York Life Foundation to pilot a ninth and tenth grade component of Learning Leaders' college planning program in eight New York City high schools. This pilot will provide low–income students with individualized instructional support, intensive workshops and school visits.
- September 19, 2005
- Learning Leaders Kicks Off Public School Year Helping More Kids Than Ever - 219,000.
- With nearly 15,000 volunteers helping kids in NYC public schools, Learning Leaders is larger than the Peace Corps. Kick Off Event on Friday, September 30, 2005, 9am to 11am.
- April 18, 2005
- CEO’s and Celebrities Read to 1,000 NYC Public School Children at Learning Leaders Celebrity Read Aloud.
- Schools Chancellor Joel Klein addresses corporate audience on the state of public education and how nonprofits and companies can help.
- January 27, 2005
- DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall Elected Board Chair of Learning Leaders.
- New Chair to focus on getting the word out about NYC’s largest volunteer organization for public school children.
