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Events

AFC's Spring Benefit
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
6:00 – 9:30 pm
Three Sixty ° New York

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Past Events

Past Events

2023 Spring Benefit

Left: AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet, 2023 Education Champion Charlotte Coté, and Richard Trobman, 2023 recipient of the Jill Chaifetz Award. Right: Master of Ceremonies Steve Kornacki

Photos © Dave Sanders

Thank you to everyone who joined us to honor Richard M. Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins LLP, who received the Jill Chaifetz Award, and our 2023 Education Champion, Charlotte Coté.

Special thanks to our generous sponsors; our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Kornacki; our event co-chairs; and all those who donated to our Fund-A-Need in support of AFC’s Early Childhood Education Project. Donations to the Fund-A-Need will support advocacy to ensure that the children with the greatest need have access to high-quality early childhood education, giving them a strong start in school and in life. 

View the event invitation [PDF] | View event photos

2022 Spring Benefit

Top left: Hamza Bani-Hani, 2022 recipient of the Education Champion Award.  Top right: Master of Ceremonies Steve Kornacki.  Bottom (L-R): Eric F. Grossman, 2022 recipient of the Jill Chaifetz Award, Steve Kornacki, AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet, Robert Fiske, Firas Bani-Hani, 2022 Education Champion Hamza Bani-Hani, and Merieme Rafik Bani-Hani.

Photos © Dave Sanders

It was a night to remember as Advocates for Children of New York honored Eric F. Grossman, recipient of the 2022 Jill Chaifetz Award, and our 2022 Education Champion, Hamza Bani-Hani on May 4 at the 2022 Spring Benefit.

The event, which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of AFC, set a new fundraising record, which will allow us to assist thousands of families in the year ahead. Special thanks to our generous sponsors; our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Kornacki; our event committee members; and all those who made gifts to AFC at our donation stations to support our work.

The event closed with the exciting announcement of the launch of AFC’s Right to Learn Campaign, which has a goal of raising $5 million over three years to take our critically needed advocacy and services to new levels of impact, promoting both innovation and sustainability in the decades to come.

For those who were not able to make it, we hope you’ll enjoy our 50th Anniversary Video, an inspiring look back at AFC’s history of fighting for every child’s right to an education. Thanks to our clients, Board members, AFC partners, and friends who contributed their thoughtful reflections on our mission and impact over the years.

View the event invitation [PDF] | Watch the anniversary video

2019 Spring Benefit

2019 benefit photos
Left: Anne M. Finucane, 2019 recipient of the Jill Chaifetz Award, and Tayloni Mazyck, 2019 recipient of the Education Champion Award, with AFC Board President Eric Grossman and Executive Director Kim Sweet.  Right: Tayloni with her family.  
Photos © Dave Sanders

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Tribeca Rooftop on May 21, 2019, as we honored Anne M. Finucane and Tayloni Mazyck! We broke a new record, which will allow us to assist thousands of families in the year ahead. Special thanks to our generous leadership sponsors [PDFand to all those who made a fund-a-need donation to support our vital work to improve school accessibility. 

As Tayloni said in her acceptance speech [PDF], "It shouldn’t be this hard to get a good education, and a good education should not be denied to you just because you have a disability." Thanks to your support, AFC will continue to fight tirelessly to break down the barriers that stand between New York City students and the quality education they need and deserve.

View the event invitation [PDF]

2018 Spring Benefit

AFC's 2018 Spring Benefit was held Wednesday, June 13, at Three Sixty° in lower Manhattan. We were thrilled to honor Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group, and Manuel De Jesus Figueroa, high school student and AFC client.

2018 benefit photo
AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet, Education Champion Award recipient Manny De Jesus Figueroa, Jill Chaifetz Award recipient Bonnie Hammer, and AFC Board President Eric Grossman

View the invitation [PDF] | View the event journal [PDF] | View event photos

2017 benefit invitation

2017 Spring Benefit

Wednesday, May 24, 2017
6:00—9:30pm
Three Sixty°, New York City

HONORING:
Colm Kelleher, President, Morgan Stanley
Julian L. Centeno, High School Student and AFC Client

Invitation [PDF]
Event Journal [PDF]
Event Photos

2016 Spring Benefit

2016 spring benefit photosLeft: AFC Executive Director Kim Sweet, Board President Eric Grossman, and presenter Hoda Kotb. 
Right: Marc and Cathy Lasry, 2016 recipients of the Jill Chaifetz Award, and Yshamar Gestine, AFC client and 2016 recipient of the Education Champion Award.

Event invitation [PDF]  |  Event journal [PDF]  |  Event photos 

Thank you to everyone who supported AFC’s 2016 Spring Benefit! On June 8, more than 600 guests joined us at Three Sixty° in downtown Manhattan to honor our award recipients, Marc and Cathy Lasry and Yshamar Gestine. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our 75 sponsors and our many individual supporters, we raised a record amount to help New York City students in the coming year!

Learn more about Yshamar in this interview with benefit presenter Hoda Kotb for SiriusXM radio:

2015 Spring Benefit

2015 benefit photo
Pictured left to right: Presenter Janice Huff of NBC4NewYork; student honorees Asha Johnson-Steptoe and Ayanna Johnson S.; and Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., recipient of the 2015 Jill Chaifetz Award.

Thank you to everyone who supported AFC’s 2015 Spring Benefit! On May 6, more than 600 guests joined us at 360° in downtown New York City to celebrate this year’s honorees, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, TIAA-CREF, and Asha Johnson-Steptoe and Ayanna Johnson S., AFC clients and 2015 high school graduates. This year's event was our most successful yet. In addition to the incredible generosity of our sponsors and ticket buyers, we surpassed our goal of raising $50,000 for our Early Childhood Education Project! Thanks to your support, AFC will remain on the front lines, ensuring that the children with the greatest need have access to and are enrolled in high-quality Pre-K programs, giving them a strong start in school and in life.  

View the invitation [PDF]
View our leadership sponsors 
[PDF]
View more event photos

Read Asha & Ayanna's story 

2014 Spring Benefit

On May 7, 2014, Advocates for Children of New York welcomed more than 650 guests to 360˚ in lower Manhattan to celebrate another phenomenal year for our organization.  Congratulations to our 2014 honorees, Eugene Ludwig and Al-Yasid Johnson! Special thanks are due to our record 63 Sponsors, as well as the many individuals who donated during the evening’s festivities to fund a much-needed new staff position for the AFC Helpline. 

As Executive Director Kim Sweet noted, “More than 520,000 New York City students live in poverty and are eligible for AFC’s education advocacy.  We are so grateful for our private donors’ ongoing and generous commitment, which will ensure we can provide thousands of struggling students and their families with expert legal representation, guidance and advocacy training in the coming year.”

View the complete invitation [PDF]
View the event journal 
[PDF]
View event photos


If you have any questions about special events, please contact Ivette Greenblatt at igreenblatt@advocatesforchildren.org or (212) 822-9529.