Last week, Edeyo Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization based in New York City that is dedicated to improving the future for children in Haiti through education, hosted their 6th annual Edeyo Gives Hope Ball. The ball, presented by Nike and Avi Oster and sponsored by HBO and Maserati of Long Island, took place at Highline Ballroom and was hosted by Stephen Baldwin. The evening began with an intimate cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by an awards ceremony and dinner, featuring authentic Haitian cuisine and a live auction. Finishing up the event for the night was a performance by Grammy Award winning singer Bridget Kelly and set by DJ Cassidy. Notable attendees included Geoffrey Bradfield, Kamela Forbes, Marc Leder, Susan Gossage, Stewart Rahr, Crissy Barker and Lady Liliana Cavendish.
“I think the most important part of the equation to communicate tonight is that Haiti is not getting better. People must to do more, we have to do more. Tragedy happens, everybody reacts, and then it flames out. That’s what is happening in Haiti. Right now we need to create more awareness, more money, and continue to do the work that needs to be done,” said Stephen Baldwin.
Photo credit: Andrew Fitzsimons
Over the course of the evening, co-founders Unik Ernest and Michael Pradieu welcomed over 300 guests to the event and raised over $200,000. Stephen Baldwin presented the night’s honorees Sharon Bush, Dr. Jane Aronson and Cindy Stagoff with the Edeyo Hope, Humanitarian and Empowerment awards, respectively, while chair member Nigel Barker honored Nancy Myers-Alverez with the Edeyo Ambassador award. Mr. Barker proved passionate about the cause and had some interesting things to say.
“I’ve known Unik for about 15 years and he’d been talking about Haiti for many years and in 2008 (several years before the earthquake), I made my first trip down there to see Bel Air — an area of Port au Prince where the school is that had just been built. There were only 60 children. I took a film crew with me and we made our first documentary about Haiti, “Haiti, Hunger and Hope,” and being from England, I was very new to the whole issue of Haiti, to be honest with you. I really didn’t know much about it and I learned a lot and I felt like I needed to educate people about how poor Haiti was — the poorest country in the western hemisphere — and only 45 minutes off the coast of Miami,” said Nigel.
Photo credit: Andrew Fitzsimons
“Then I made another film called “Dreams Are Not Forgotten” in 2011. It talked about the fact that the kids in Haiti, despite the earthquake, despite everything that was going on, had the same dreams as every other child in the world. They’re really no different. The problem might be so massive that you think you can’t fix it, but actually you help one child and you realize that you have a chance at making a difference. What I love about Edeyo specifically is that, through education, they want to build a new generation of citizens who can help rebuild the country themselves. You can’t just give people food and water — you need a long-term solution to a serious problem.” We couldn’t agree more!
If you want to become involved, visit Edeyo’s website. There are always charity galas happening in New York City. Be sure to check back for our exclusive coverage.
