=[[=;''[Media Contact: Ngozi Onike
nonike@khcc-nyc.org
(718)-884-0700 ext.118
For Immediate Release:
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) Honors Bronx Heroes Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz; President of Lehman College, José Luis Cruz and The Bronx Opera at its Annual Benefit Gala.
Hosted by News 12 the Bronx’s Jessica Cunnington
with a special performance by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
BRONX, NY – Oct 22, 2018 –Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) will hold its annual benefit gala, “Home Away from Home,” on November 13, 2018 at Second located at The Kimpton Eventi Hotel, 851 6th Ave, New York, NY from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The event will honor Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz of the 81st District in the Bronx, José Luis Cruz, President of Lehman College, and the Bronx Opera (BxO) for their continuous, dedicated support of the Center. BxO's General Director, Benjamin Spierman, will accept this recognition on behalf of the company.
The “Home Away from Home” celebration will feature an electrifying performance by Hip-Hop legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC, Jessica Cunnington from Bronx News 12 as the evening’s MC, exciting items, including artwork by Jeff Koons, to be auctioned by John Luke from A&E’s “Storage Wars,” and success stories shared by members of our community.
“We are excited to have such amazing friends from across the city join us on November 13,” said Margaret Della, KHCC Executive Director. “The Dinowitz family has given us unwavering support over the years. José Luis Cruz and Lehman College are cultivating Bronx’s deep talent pool and rigorous work ethic to further strengthen our community, and the Bronx Opera has continuously brought the healing power and joy of music to our participants and programs.”
“Organizations, like individuals, are defined in part by their relationships,” said Benjamin Spierman. “For us at Bronx Opera, our relationships with the other organizations who work to make The Bronx great are as critical as anything we put on stage. This is why our relationship with KHCC is so critical. We feel a special kinship with KHCC as an organization, and with the people who work there. We are all very proud of our work with KHCC, and of the growing relationship we have with the staff, and with the community that KHCC represents.”
A member of United Neighborhood Houses of New York City, KHCC has performed an invaluable role in disrupting cycles of poverty, abuse, and lack of access in the Bronx through education, support, and treatment and counseling services. It provides resources to empower Bronx residents from cradle to career to advance education and well-being for a vibrant community. KHCC achieves this goal in an environment that fosters academic milestones, literacy, mental health support, nutrition, technology, and the arts.
“Lehman College and the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center have much in common,” José Luis Cruz said. “Our longstanding service and commitment to our communities is one, with Lehman celebrating our 50th anniversary, and KHCC marking its 45th year. We also share a deep appreciation of the power of education and opportunity. For years, KHCC has provided Lehman students with unparalleled learning experiences. Our students, in turn, have helped deliver vital services to KHCC’s clients. We both look forward to many more years of service, in partnership, to the borough we call home.”
The “Home Away from Home” event will raise vital funds to enable KHCC to continue to provide the highest quality of services through Early Childhood, After School, Teen Center, College Direction, ESOL, Changing Futures and Special Needs programming.
“I am thrilled to be honored by Kingsbridge Heights Community Center,” said Jeffrey Dinowitz. “My family and I have been involved with KHCC for a number of years; we have participated in the good works the organization does for our community and have witnessed its positive effects on our children and families first hand. This year, I allocated $100,000 of state funding toward the important work of restoring the roof of KHCC’s home at 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, a designated New York City Landmark building, and I hope that the “Home Away from Home” fundraising effort will also yield further resources toward this project. I was still a teenager when KHCC first began its work in the neighborhood where I grew up--Kingsbridge Heights. Since then the center has impacted the lives of thousands and thousands of people. I will always support the good work of Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.”