Partnership with Children invites you to our annual Inspiration Gala, which celebrates the importance of mental health and healing-based arts education in preparing New York City’s children to succeed in school, society, and life.  

This year, we are thrilled to honor individuals who exemplify Partnership with Children’s core values. Leaders and role models in each of their respective fields, our 2024 honorees inspire us with both their professional successes and personal passion and compassion.  

We hope you can join us for this joyous event!   

EVENT DETAILS

2024 Inspiration Gala

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

583 Park Avenue, New York City

6:30pm Cocktails | 7:30pm Dinner Program

Festive Attire

HOSTED BY

Maurice DuBois

Maurice DuBois

WCBS TV Anchor

2024 HONOREES

Honorees

In recognition of their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments, we are thrilled to be honoring three outstanding partners who serve as inspirational champions for our young people: 

Raj Dhanda - photo

Raj Dhanda

Global Head of Wealth Management, Ares Management 

Nancy Hall - photo

Nancy Hall 

CEO, Mindshare NA

RICH PARK - PHOTO

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, this year we are recognizing 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.

Robert “Kool” Bell

Kool & the Gang

2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee

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

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

KBC Advisors

Colleen and Robert Manfred

Kevin Rinker

State Street Corporation

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 PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILDREN

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.
 

2023 PWC GALA RECAP