Thank you for joining us for the 2024 Inspiration Gala!
On June 4, 2024 Partnership with Children welcomed 530 guests to our 2024 Inspiration Gala, which celebrated the importance of mental health and healing-based arts education in preparing New York City’s children to succeed in school, society, and life. The joyous evening honored inspiring leaders across the finance, media, and healthcare sectors and celebrated two trailblazing icons for their contributions to the healing arts.
Thanks to our generous partners and supporters, we surpassed our goal and raised $1.4 million that will support young people all across NYC.
Thank you to those who joined us in celebration – it was truly a night to remember!
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
EVENT DETAILS
2024 Inspiration Gala
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
583 Park Avenue, New York City
HOSTED BY
Maurice DuBois
WCBS TV Anchor
2024 HONOREES
Honorees
In recognition of their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments, we are thrilled to honor three outstanding partners who serve as inspirational champions for our young people:
Raj Dhanda
Global Head of Wealth Management, Ares Management
Nancy Hall
CEO, Mindshare NA
Dr. Richard Park
Founder, CityMD and Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Ascend Partners
2024 INSPIRATION AWARD WINNERS
Inspiration Award Winners
In recognition of their contribution to the healing arts, we recognize two icons and trailblazers who shattered glass ceilings and paved a path of endless possibility for our youth:
Robert “Kool” Bell is the co-founder, leader and master bassist for the legendary Pop/R&B group Kool & the Gang, the seven-time Grammy award-winners who also earned many American Music Awards.
Kool and his family emigrated to Jersey City, NJ in the early 1960s with siblings Ronald/Khalis, Rory/Wahid, Kevin/Amir. In 1964, Kool and Ronald joined neighborhood friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith to create a distinctive musical blend of jazz, soul, and funk. After many name changes, they settled for Kool & the Gang in 1968. A multi-platinum-selling group and the most sampled band of all time, Kool & the Gang has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of generations with 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums.
Kool’s business ventures include the Le Kool champagne and with his departed wife, Sakinah, co-founded the non-profit music education initiative, the Kool Kids Foundation – currently overseen by his sons Hakim (president) and Muhammad (vice president).
In April of 2024, it was announced that Robert Kool Bell and Kool & the Gang would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Melba Moore, the Tony Award-winning, Grammy Award nominated siren, has commanded stages around the world and who has conquered Broadway in memorable roles in HAIR (1967), PURLIE (1970) and became the first Black woman to inhabit the role of Fantine in LES MISERABLES (1995), also used the pandemic period of reflection to work on new music with her sweetest collaborator and greatest creation, her daughter Charli Huggins, who also happens to the head of The Gallery Entertainment, her own independent label.
Being signed to Capitol Records, she also followed the success with “Love’s Comin At Ya” and the a string of R&B hits followed, including “Read My Lips”—which later won Moore a third Grammy nomination (for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance), making her just the third black artist after Donna Summer and Michael Jackson to be nominated in the rock category.
Her label is set to release IMAGINE, Moore’s 2022 project featuring new music and a return to her R&B roots.
She is the epitome of an entertainer and a consummate performer. Honored with the likes of Diana Ross, Patti Labelle and Nancy Wilson, Melba Moore was among those who were celebrated at Oprah’s historic Legends Ball.
Melba Moore
Tony-Award Winning Actress and 3-Time Grammy Nominated Singer
VIDEO FEATURING PWC SCHOOL
EVENT SPONSORS
Heroes
Ares Wealth Management
Ascend Partners
Rendr
Visionaries
Michelle & Raj Dhanda
Heather & Jed Finn
PwC
Champions
Academy Partners Group
CBRE
Cushman & Wakefield
Eastdil
EY
IAB
Jones Lang LaSalle
Latham & Watkins LLP
Morgan Stanley
PREMIER Design + Build Group, LLC
Proskauer
Ramneek Rikhy
UnitedHealthcare
Mentors
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble
Ampersand
Brian Angiolet
ARGA Investment Management, LP
Jill Braufman
Broadridge
CBRE National Partners
Disney Advertising/ESPN
FOX Corporation
Lowey Family Foundation
Mindshare NA
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Morrison Foerster
Alexandra Murray
NBCUniversal
Paramount
Polsinelli
Stellar Health
The Trade Desk
Helena Willner
Yahoo!
Leaders
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Jonathan Firestone
iCapital
KBC Advisors
Colleen and Robert Manfred
Heather and Jimmy Mulvihill
Kevin Rinker
State Street Corporation
Walker & Dunlop
PWC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PWC Board of Directors:
Andrew Bettwy, Board President • Jed Finn, Executive Vice President • André Branch, Senior Vice President • David Cohen, Vice President • Alexandra Murray, Vice President • Ramneek Rikhy, Vice President • Helena Willner, Secretary • Nelly Akoth • Brian Angiolet • Dan Benardette • Tom Booker • Jill Braufman • Kalena Griffin Costa • Jonathan Fassberg • Omino Gardezi • Patrick Grandinetti • Castleigh Johnson • Pinar Kip • Julie Lang • Helen Lin • Freddy Rolón • Michael Rost • Pay Wu
ABOUT US
About PWC:
Since 1908, Partnership with Children (PWC) has strengthened the emotional, social, and cognitive skills of children in New York City to succeed in school, society, and life. For 115 years, we have provided a safety net to generations of New Yorkers and responded to some of our city’s greatest challenges. Today, our work focuses on the mental health needs of our young people. We place licensed clinical social workers, youth development specialists, and teaching artists in schools to provide young people, grades K-12, growing up in poverty with trauma-informed mental health counseling, community-based programming, and healing-based arts education. Through this approach, our students build the skills necessary to break cycles of poverty and become advocates for their communities. Last year, PWC’s work impacted over 27,000 children and families across 48 NYC public schools. To learn more about our history and the scope of our work click here.