February 4, 2020, marked the 40th Anniversary Thurman Munson Awards Dinner supporting the AHRC New York City Foundation. The annual event brings together world-class athletes, sports and local media figures, New York City business leaders, and people supported by and employed by AHRC NYC in a night dedicated to the memory of one the city’s most legendary sportsmen.
“On Tuesday night, the AHRC New York City community and new friends came together for an extraordinary evening,” said Jennifer Goodwin, Executive Director, and Dianne Gomez, Associate Director, AHRC NYC Foundation. “We were inspired by Our Broadway performers along with our Munson Dinner honorees Darcy Stacom, J.D. Davis, John Franco, Nancy Lieberman, Lou Piniella, and Gleyber Torres.”
“Thank you to everyone who supported and attended this special evening. With your generosity, we raised $900,000! This funding enables the AHRC NYC Foundation to champion and support the rights of thousands of individuals with disabilities and continue to provide support for their families.”
Seeing the Great Work at AHRC NYC Programs
The day before the dinner, Yankees superstar infielder and Munson Dinner honoree Gleyber Torres and Darcy Stacom, Chairman and Head of NYC Capital Markets for CBRE and this year’s M. Anthony Fisher Humanitarian Award honoree visited AHRC NYC’s Central Park Early Learning Center and Walter and Evelyn Redfield Center.
Gleyber and Darcy had an opportunity to hear directly from AHRC NYC staff members in both locations about the programs and supports offered to children and adults. Gleyber got a chance to show just a sampling of his skills by playing catch with some of the children at Central Park ELC’s indoor playground. They were also treated to a performance from Our Broadway, aptly including a song from the classic show Damn Yankees, and Gleyber answered some questions from podcast interviewer Martin Neal.
“It’s an honor for me to be here,” Gleyber said at the dinner. “Yesterday was amazing; I saw all the kids and all the things they do for our community. I just feel proud to be here and try to best I can to help my community and these kids and try to enjoy everything.”
“It’s so important for me to give back to the community and this [award] meant so much to me,” Darcy said. “The whole range of the autism spectrum and everything else that this organization covers is such a deep fabric of life and an organization that takes the time to teach these individuals to become a member of the community, to deal with the turmoil that is NYC and is life, is something that means so much. I’m grateful to be able to be a part of it and make a difference.”
A Night to Remember
Additional awardees this year included New York Mets utility player J.D. Davis; Lou Piniella, a former Yankees player, and manager and a teammate of Thurman Munson; John Franco, whose 15-year Mets career earned him the first-ever Thurman Munson Captain’s Award; and Nancy Lieberman, a Queens sports legend and Basketball Hall of Famer.
“AHRC does great work here in New York City,” Lou Piniella said. “It’s such a worthy recipient of the donations of the people that support here. I’m honored to be here in a small way to contribute to this.”
“I’m really excited to be a part of this award,” Nancy Lieberman said. Nancy announced at the dinner that she would like to donate 25 iPads to AHRC NYC programs that need them. “For the foundation, thank you for what you do. Not only do you help people and educate, but you try to give work opportunities and sustained work opportunities. You have my heart and you have my respect for what you are trying to do for people with disabilities.”
About The AHRC New York City Foundation
The AHRC New York City Foundation is a fund-raising and grant-making entity that supports programs for children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and who live in New York City. The Foundation is the primary source of philanthropic support for AHRC New York City, which provides a wide array of social services for approximately 15,000 people with disabilities.
