Child Care Corporation Celebrates 18th Annual Care for Kids Gala

The 1199SEIU Child Care Corporation proudly celebrated its 18th Annual Care for Kids Gala on October 22 at Chelsea Piers’ Current. This year’s theme, “Bridges to the Future,” set the tone for an inspiring evening centered on community, commitment and the transformative impact of our child-care and youth-development programs.

The Child Care Corporation was honored to recognize three distinguished leaders whose work continues to uplift children and working families: Marilyn A. Fraser, MD, CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health; Amalgamated Bank and its President, Priscilla Sims Brown; and Tomas Ramos, Founder of the Oyate Group. Their dedication reflects the very heart of our mission.

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of this year’s supporters, the gala reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that working families, especially our healthcare heroes, have access to aff ordable, high-quality child care and youth opportunities. Together, over $300,000 was raised in support of these vital programs.

Guests were treated to a brilliant musical performance by Blues Zhang and Angeline Kiang of The Juilliard School, and our Master of Ceremonies, Edric Robinson from News12 New York, guided the evening with warmth, humor and unmatched charisma.

Among the night’s most meaningful moments were the heartfelt testimonials from families and alumni whose lives have been shaped by the Child Care Corporation programs. Guests heard from 1199SEIU members like Shante Hutchinson of Montefiore Medical Center, who shared how all three of her children attended the Future of America Learning Center in the Bronx and how the savings in child care was crucial to her family. Their experiences were a powerful reminder of why we gather each year to uplift families, expand opportunities and build pathways to brighter futures.

To commemorate the final week of YMP this summer, the 1199SEIU Child Care Corporation hosted its annual YMP Closing Ceremony on Thursday, August 15, in the Martin Luther King Auditorium at our 1199SEIU Manhattan headquarters.