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Oh How They Shined!
Thank you to all those who joined us on May 13 to celebrate our brilliant LEAP youth.
Thank you to our Generous Sponsors!
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Galaxy Sponsors
Mauricio Barberi and Alyssa Grikscheit
Drew and Lauren Hammond
David Pedowitz
Lori Rotskoffand Michael Canter
Karen Sonet-Rosenthal and Rich Rosenthal
Andrew Tomback
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Constellation and North Star Sponsors
Catherine K. Hammond Charitable Trust
Stephanie Marie Weymouth Charitable Foundation
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Special Guest: André De Shields
Broadway legend André De Shields—the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning star—will make a special guest appearance at LEAP’s 2nd Annual Spring Benefit on May 13th In a career spanning fifty-five years, André De Shields, at age 78, has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, activist, educator and philanthropist. His legendary career has resulted in a treasure trove of accolades, among them Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa from his Alma Mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has founded THE ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS FUND. His other marks of esteem include having been the triple crown winner of the 2019 awards season, garnering Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Grammy Awards for his universally acclaimed role as Hermes, messenger to the gods, in Hadestown. Click here to learn more about André.
About our MC
Tyrik Iman-Washington, Jr.
We are thrilled to announce that Tyrik Iman-Washington, Jr. will be the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s LEAP for the STARS Spring Benefit!
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Tyrik’s journey with LEAP began in 2017 as a middle school student at Dock Street School in Brooklyn. From his first performance in The Movement to starring in multiple LEAP productions, Tyrik quickly emerged as a passionate and powerful performer. Today, he continues to shine—not only as an actor—but as a LEAP Teaching Artist, mentoring the next generation of young creatives.
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His story is a shining example of LEAP’s mission in action: when you inspire children to do big things, big things happen.
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We are honored to share the stage with this talented, dynamic LEAP alumnus and can’t wait for you to experience his energy and voice at the Spring Benefit!
Drew Hammond
In recognition for his many years of service to LEAP.
Drew, Principal, Engineering Apollo Global Management Inc., has been a board member for nine years. Having served on the Executive Committee of the Board as Treasurer and helping steer the organization through a new strategic plan, significant growth, and recovering from the shock of the pandemic, drew will be retiring from Board Service. LEAP and the rest of our board will honor his years of service with a special recognition during the benefit.
