Young Executives Spring Soiree
On Thursday evening, May 18th, the Young Executive Division of Strength to Strength held its second annual "Spring Soiree" at the epic 7 World Trade Center in New York City.
Over 200 of New York's elite young professionals filled the room and spent the evening enjoying great wine, food and a breathtaking view of the 9/11 Memorial. Once again, evening included a special VIP Tour of the World Trade Center area, given by award winning producer, Mike Marcucci and ending the tour at the 9/11 Memorial Pools with a personal account of survival by Tom Canavan, 9/11 survivor and Strength to Strength Member.
The evening was done in partnership this year with the Barney School of Business, University of Hartford who added a special silent auction to the evening. Remarks opened the beautiful night by Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York, who spoke about the importance of taking care of victims of terrorism long-term and his dedication to the important work of Strength to Strength. Then there were two special presentations, one from the Barney School of Business to Ari Schonbrun, Strength to Strength Board Member and 9/11 survivor and a Young Leadership Award given to our Young Executives Chair, Andi Koppelman. As in the previous year, most moving portion of the evening was the story of Michael Benzakein. In November of 2015, Michael was studying abroad in Israel. A group of friends were traveling to volunteer, when terrorists began shooting at their van. Michael's roommate and close friend, Ezra Schwartz z"l, was murdered in the attack, and Michael was lucky to survive with little physical injuries but psychological injuries that he will have with him the rest of his life. Michael participated just weeks before on Strength to Strength's Young Ambassadors Program which brings together young people ages 15-20, who have either lost a family member to terrorism or they themselves have survived. They spend a week together in New York City, sharing personal experiences, touring, meeting with community and political leaders and building a global peer support group long after the program ends. Michael spoke about the fact that after his attack, you could not just google information on how to be a victim of terrorism and there was no rule book. Connecting with Strength to Strength has given him the immediate and long-term support needed. He knows that he has a place where people understand what he has been through and his peers are there for him when he needs them. There was not a sound in the room when Michael spoke and everyone was extremely moved by his courage, strength and bravery.
We could not do the work we do, without all the amazing individuals and companies that support our work including our sponsors for the evening: Silverstein Properties, Celia Lofink, Joe Giuffre and all the members of the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford, Prestige Caterers, Asher Laub for the beautiful music, On the Spot Magnets, Wineon9, and an number of anonymous donors.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Shannon Donahue and everyone at Silverstein Properties for all their assistance in making this event a success. We would also like to thank Sharon from Prestige Caterers, Sara Goldstein and Baker's Dozen for the beautiful desserts, Mark Mitton for bringing some "magic" to our evening and our amazing photographer, Sarah Podolski Photography. Special THANK YOU Mike Marcucci and 9/11 survivor Tom Canavan for speaking to our VIPs, Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York and our guest speaker for the evening, Michael Benzakein. A VERY Special THANK YOU to our event chairs Blima Ehrentreu, Alicia Post and Ethan Stein for incredible amount of work they put into the evening as well as our incredible host committee who we could not have had the successful evening without their dedication and commitment to Strength to Strength. Strength to Strength's Young Executives Division is headed by Andi Koppelman and Shoshana Hill. The organization owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to these incredible women whose ongoing leadership is what makes this young leadership different from other organizations. Victims of terrorism around the world like Michael are building their future because of these dedicated volunteers. Strength to Strength thanks them for all the work they do and looks forward to seeing more incredible evenings like this in the future.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Strength to Strength's weekend retreats which bring together those impacted by terrorism to help heal and move forward.
For more information about future events or to get involved, email info@stosglobal.org.