Leave the gun take the cannoli (9)

A sudden summer storm  dampened the red carpet   outside of Tribeca Rooftop, as paparazzi and reporters  clamoured for  Gwyneth Paltrow’s attention  as she  walked  into Children of the City’s annual benefit gala.  Hosted by local ABC meteorologist Bill Evans, the Champions of Hope benefit shone a spotlight on the  noble  non-profit trying to change the culture of poverty.

The guest of honor, Gwyneth Paltrow, spoke eloquently about the organization before  the press and the 400 plus guests who came to support the organization.  She graciously spent quality time with several  teenage girls receiving services from Children of the City.     Ms Paltrow and Mr. Evans   went out of their way to focus  attention and admiration on Rosa, a 9th grader in the guardianship program.  They allowed Rosa to speak from her heart about all of the things Children of the City does to keep her safe and healthy.  

Overcoming a sad and difficult early childhood,  Rosa is an optimist.    She speaks respectfully about her biological mother who has been unable to  care for her since she was 5.   She sings the praises of her warm and loving foster family, mentor and tutors.   Her gratitude toward the organization and its sponsors was so  sincere that Rosa received a thunderous  round of applause that made her the biggest   star of the gala.         

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Children's Charities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.