ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala

Every year, ADAPT Community Network holds the ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala, a celebration of notable community members who have made a significant impact on the disabled community. This year’s gala took place on Thursday, March 9^th, 2023 at Cipriani 42^nd Street in Midtown. We are proud to share that we raised over $750,000 for our programs and so we can continue to build a more inclusive and equitable world for thousands of children and adults with disabilities! 

The night honored the recipients of the ADAPT Leadership Awards, Willie Geist and Jeanine and Louis Salvatore, and the Hausman Humanitarian Award recipient, John D. Kemp.  

Willie Geist, host of NBC News’ Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist and co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, is a longtime supporter of our organization and recently raised over half a million dollars for Parkinson’s disease research. Jeanine and Louis Salvatore, philanthropist and Co-Head of Blackstone Credit’s Performing Credit team respectively, have helped people with disabilities through their countless charitable endeavors.  

The Hausman Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual or group for their humanitarian and philanthropic efforts that have a profound impact on individuals with disabilities in New York and beyond. This year, John D. Kemp, Esq. was honored with the award. John has been a leading advocate for individuals with disabilities and led organizations in the fields of public policy, education and physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle for individuals with disabilities. Congratulations to all the honorees! 

Thank you to all our sponsors, organizers, and attendees for making this event a great success. We wish to extend our sincerest appreciation to our Event Co-Chairs Liz Cohen Hausman and James Hausman, host Abigail Hawk, and our presenters Ali Stroker, Tamsen Fadal, and Susan Lucci.   

This year’s gala film highlighted ADAPT’s growth, including the growth of our organization, the personal growth of the people we support, and the growth of our programs. If you missed it, you can view the film here. 

Another one of the focuses of this year’s gala was our technology fund. For many of the people we support, technology plays a huge role in improving the quality of their everyday lives. Individuals who are nonverbal can use iPads to communicate, individuals who have mobility issues can use a Google Nest to turn on their lights and TV, and smart classrooms can enhance students’ learning experiences. With a portion of the funds we raised during the gala, we hope to bring assistive technology to even more of the people we support.  

Gala attendees also had the pleasure of enjoying a vocal medley by Chilina Kennedy, star of the Broadway musical “Beautiful.” Thank you for the stunning performance, Chilina! 

You can also still support our mission by donating here. 

On behalf of the entire team at ADAPT Community Network, thank you for your ongoing support, and we hope to see you again for our 2024 ADAPT Leadership Awards on March 14th, 2024!