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ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala

Cipriani 42nd St

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 9th, 2023 at Cipriani 42nd 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! 

Annual ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala

Passed Honorees include:

LaChanze, Edward R. Matthews, Amy Robach,  Andrew Shue, Ali Stroker (2022)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1961), President John F. Kennedy (1963), Governor and Mrs. Nelson A. Rockefeller (1971), Bob Hope (1975), Governor Hugh Carey (1977), John W. Kluge (1981), Governor & Mrs. Mario Cuomo (1983), First Lady Nancy Reagan (1985), Frank A. Bennack, Jr. (1985), President Jimmy Carter (1987), President Gerald Ford (1987), President & Mrs. Ronald Reagan (1989), Alan Greenspan (1990), Rt. Honourable Margaret Thatcher (1991), Dr. Henry A. Kissinger (1992), General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (1993), First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (1994), H.R.H. Princess Diana (1995), General Colin Powell (1995), Senator John Glenn (1999), Barbara Walters (2000), Muhammad Ali (2000), Leo Hausman (2000),  Senator Bob Dole (2002) and Bill Clinton. 

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Timeline of Calls for Discovery Camp 2019

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join us for the 2024 GALA

Date:

3/13/2024

Venue:

Cipriani 42nd St
110 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

Contact:

Laura Hickman
lhickman@adaptcommunitynetwork.org
212-683-6700 ext 1203

Event Chairs

Event Chairs

Liz Cohen Hausman and James Hausman

Honorary Co-Chairs

Cara Buono
Tamsen Fadal
LaChanze
Susan Lucci
Deborah Roberts
Judy Woodruff

Presenter

Presenter

Ali Stroker
Tony winning actress and author

ADAPT Leadership Awards

ADAPT Leadership Awards

Willie Geist
Host of NBC News’ Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe

Jeanine and Louis Salvatore

Jeanine and Louis Salvatore

Philanthropist and Volunteer
Co-Head of Blackstone Credit's Performing Credit team and a member of the Performing Credit investment committees

Hausman Humanitarian Award

Hausman Humanitarian Award

John D. Kemp, Esq.

Host

Host

Abigail Hawk
Co-star of the CBS series "Blue Bloods"

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