On May 8th, 2010 the Adeona Foundation hosted its third annual White Party fundraiser. The evening was a great success selling out over 450 tickets and creating a profound awareness for New York’s “under-the-radar” children’s organizations. The strong show of support among Adeona’s constituency of young professionals within the City paid off in many ways..
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, proceeds from this event went to The New York Harbor School (NYHS) located on Governor’s Island. Founded in 2003 in Bushwick Brooklyn, The Harbor School provides a unique college-preparatory education built upon New York City’s maritime experience. In addition to a city mandated core curriculum for all schools, students of The Harbor School have taken on the responsibility of helping to rebuild and revive New York Harbor from under the surface. NYHS recently re-located its campus to Governors Island, becoming the first non-military tenant in the island’s history. Located approximately one half-mile off of Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, Governor’s Island will provide students with unprecedented access to New York’s waterways. From marine engineering to commercial diving, the students of the Harbor School will be equipped with a unique set of maritime skills when they graduate high school. The Adeona Foundation was impressed with NYHS’s maritime focused curriculum and eagerness to provide New York’s youth with an extremely unique educational experience. Not only does NYHS motivate its students to succeed academically through a diverse selection of maritime oriented extracurricular activities and classes, but it teaches its students the importance of their natural surroundings and how to respect the environment they live in..
On September 24, 2010, Members of the Adeona Foundation and their fellow supporters volunteered their time at NYHS by sorting and organizing oyster beds, stripping and re-painting a boat shed, and re-furbishing NYHS’s sole water vessel. Additionally, the Executive Directors of the Adeona Foundation presented the students and program directors of NYHS with a $20,000 donation. A portion of the donation funded a documentary for NYHS, helping the school explain its story and greatly increasing its ability to make an impression on children within the New York metro area. The remaining proceeds funded supplies for the Adeona Foundation’s volunteer day. It is Adeona’s hope that our time and contribution will help jump start a new chapter of NYHS’s life on Governors Island. We also hope to show the NYHS students that there are many others within the New York community who commend the hard work that they have put into learning about our waterways and restoring our natural surroundings.
For more information on The New York Harbor School and how you can help, please visit their website: http://www.newyorkharborschool.org