Young Executives Spring Soiree

On Thursday evening, April 14th, the Young Executive Division of Strength to Strength held its most  successful event to date  "Spring Soiree 2016" at the epic 7 World Trade Center in New York City.

Over 175 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. The evening included a special VIP Tour of the World Trade Center area including the new World Trade Center Transportation  Hub, 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 most moving portion of the evening was the story of Joseph Jones, who is currently studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater. Joseph is from Belfast, Northern Ireland and in March of 2007 when he was 10 years old, his father was brutally murdered. Joseph shared his story and the long-term impact that day has had on his family. Joseph participated in the first Young Ambassadors Program that Strength to Strength ran and said in his speech, "I’ve been a member of Strength to Strength since 2011 as I was on their first Young Ambassador Program ever. During this heart-warming and emotional experience I met other young people affected through terrorism from Ireland, Israel, Spain, France and the United States. This is where I learned that I’m not alone in facing the impact of terrorism...Despite the language barrier, there was a profound connection between us all, especially between the Irish and Israelis. For one of the first times ever I was with other teenagers who understood me and what I have to deal with for the rest of my life...This experience was life changing and I left knowing that no matter where I am the world I have the support of my Strength to Strength family." Joseph concluded his speech by saying "For me Strength to Strength symbolises hope and unity, its an organization that has had such a positive impact on my life. It showed me that I can go forward and lead a meaningful life. That as a victim of terrorism I will never forget but I can live my life fully to honor and make my dad proud of me." Everyone in the room was extremely moved by Joseph's words and his courage, strength and bravery.

This is the important work that Strength to Strength is doing -- making a difference in the lives of those impacted by terrorism to assist them in moving forward with their lives. 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, Kyrill Firshein, Royal Wine Corp, LaBottega, Sushi Fussion, Whole Foods, and an anonymous donor.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Gina Riley and her staff at Silverstein Properties for all their assistance in making this event a success. We would also like to thank Jeremy Loubaton of Royal Wines for the special wine tasting, Alan Shulman and Main Event Mauzone Caterers, Sara Goldstein and Baker's Dozen for the beautiful desserts, Mark Mitton for bringing some "magic" to our evening and our amazing photographer, Justin Dodd (justin@turnaroundcancel.com). Special THANK YOU Mike Marcucci and 9/11 survivor Tom Canavan for speaking to our VIPs and our guest speaker for the evening, Joseph Jones.

A VERY Special THANK YOU to our event chairs Shoshana Hill, Josh Goldstein and Steven Rosenthal 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, Lauren Englander and Sarah Varacalli.  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 Joseph 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.