Annual Awards Gala Features Brandon Jacobs and Biondi School Student

"I'm pretty good in school now, but I wasn't always," Jose Torres shared with the crowd at the Pierre Hotel on November 1.  "When I started sixth grade, I was a low reader -- reading at a second grade level. Reading was frustrating, but thanks to my teachers, I started trying my hardest.  Then, when it was time to take the end of the year reading test, I was reading on grade level.  That's up four levels from second grade to sixth grade.  I'm proud of that, and it gives me a lot of confidence."

Jose is a seventh grader at the Leake and Watts Biondi School and appeared as the guest speaker for our 180th Anniversary 2011 Leake & Watts Annual Awards Gala. Over 200 guests turned out for the event, and they were moved by the enthusiasm that Jose now has for learning and his plans to go to college, now that he has found the support that he needs at Biondi.

Celebrating 180 years of dedication to children, adults and families, Leake & Watts raised over $400,000 at our Anniversary Gala, which will help us address the many challenges that confront individuals and families in the New York City metro area dealing with poverty, emotional and cognitive disabilities, trauma, and a lack of access to education and basic services.

Jose Torres, New York Giant Brandon Jacobs
and guest Austin Pope.

At this year’s gala, Leake & Watts honored Brandon Jacobs, running back for the New York Giants, with the Community Leadership Award for Distinguished Service, and Odaelys Walwyn with the Leake & Watts Citizenship Award for Outstanding Volunteerism.  Jacobs is dedicated to helping youth stay on the right track and graduate from high school.  He encourages teens by sharing about his own experiences as a teenager of modest means in New Orleans.  Jacobs has visited the students at the Biondi School in order to talk about the challenges that he faced and the importance of remaining committed to our agency’s four core values: respect, achievement, safety and responsibility.  Walwyn is a dedicated volunteer at the Leake & Watts Residential Treatment Center and Woodfield Cottage Secure Juvenile Detention, leading a group of students from New York Medical College who mentor the teens in our programs.

“As we celebrate our 180^th anniversary, it is important to realize that we are indebted to community members like Brandon Jacobs and Odaelys Walwyn who step up as role models and mentors to the youth and families that we serve, as well everyone who contributes to our agency in many different ways,” says Executive Director Alan Mucatel.  “Thanks to the support of loyal donors, friends and volunteers, we are able to provide diverse, life-affirming programs that help create strong foundations for success for children, adults, and families each day.”

This year’s Gala Chairs were Robert and Margery Mueller and Frances Olivieri and Lowell Johnston. The event was hosted by WABC-TV Senior Meteorologist/Author Bill Evans and included cocktails, dinner, and award presentations.  The evening also included a sports-themed raffle with exciting items such as a football signed by NY Giant Eli Manning and a base from the legendary Shea Stadium.

To see more photos from the event, check out our 180th Anniversary Annual Awards Gala Photo Gallery on Flickr.