The 69th Annual Dinner was a chance for people from AHRC New York City programs and residences, board members, family members, and distinguished guests to celebrate nearly seven decades of unmatched services for people with developmental and other intellectual disabilities. The event was held on the evening of Saturday, May 5th at the Grand Hyatt New York in midtown Manhattan.
Ruschell Boone from NY1 returned as the Master of Ceremonies for the second straight year. Patricia Murphy, Esq., Third Vice President of the AHRC NYC Board of Directors, presided over her first dinner as Chairperson. Additionally, Marco Damiani, Chief Executive Officer, attended his first Annual Dinner.
Others seated at the dais included Laura J. Kennedy, President of The Arc New York, and Angelo Aponte, President of AHRC New York City. Mark Van Voorst, the new Executive Director of The Arc New York, was in the audience.
Honorees at the 69th Annual Dinner
Konica Minolta received AHRC NYC’s Corporate Leadership Award. For years, this company has printed the Annual Dinner journal on a pro bono basis. They were represented by Rick Pirrotta, Market Vice President, who expressed his gratitude and Konica Minolta’s pleasure in assisting with the printing of the journal each year.
Josh Hirsch receives AHRC NYC’s Anne Kraus Award
A former dinner chair himself, Josh Hirsch received the Anne Kraus Award. His father, George, was a founding Board Member of AHRC NYC. Josh was also a longtime Board Member until 2017. Josh mentioned how his family and the Kraus family were close and thus added extra significance to the evening for him.
Finally, Dale Hensley, Fine Art Consultant, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Dale was a performer on Broadway for nearly 40 years and got involved with AHRC NYC programs through volunteering. He founded the Our Broadway with performers and staff first from the Walter and Evelyn Redfield Center and then from many other programs while inviting his friends and colleagues from the stage to participate as well.
Jenny Gruby Watkins and Jamel Mills dance during a performance of On Broadway
Following the screening of a video detailing the accomplishments of the new program, Dale quickly thanked the audience before turning over to the Broadway group, who performed the standard “On Broadway.”
Congratulations to all of the honorees and thank you for your great work!
You can access AHRC NYC’s 69th Annual Dinner Journals in the links below:
69th Annual Dinner Journal
69th Annual Dinner PowerPoint (23.2 MB file download)
