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December 3, 2002 New York
Robin Hood, one of the city's leading poverty-fighting organizations, today honored four New Yorkers at the thirteenth annual Robin Hood Heroes Awards at The Plaza Hotel. Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke at the breakfast which was also attended by Joel Klein and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.
Each year, Robin Hood honors outstanding people whose work is transforming the lives of the poorest New Yorkers. The Hero award recipients received a $50,000 honorarium from Robin Hood for their organization.
"The 2002 Hero Nominees all have uniquely American stories," said Robin Hood Board Chair Stan Druckenmiller. "Whether immigrants or born and bred New Yorkers, these heroes embody the spirit of the American dream and the desire to help others. The Robin Hood Foundation is extremely pleased to honor these inspiring individuals and help them to meet the needs of their community."
The 2002 Robin Hood Heroes:
Naffisa Hannat, of Comprehensive Development, came to this country as a "run-away wife" and now counsels teens, half of them immigrants, who are trying to finish school and make a life for themselves. Despite enormous obstacles, including homelessness, teenage pregnancy, and limited English, these students succeed. The graduation rate is 90 percent and the Regents pass rate is 87 percent as compared to 59 percent citywide.
Gail Gordon, a Jewish New Yorker, and Susanne LaChapelle, a Catholic nun from New England, have spent twenty years as a team visiting the homes of extremely poor families in East Harlem to provide social and nursing services as part of their work for Little Sisters of the Assumption. Whether it is racing a mother in labor to the hospital or saving a child in the middle of an asthma attack, these two women have never lost their determination to make life better for poor children and their families.
Isis Sapp-Grant went from being a leader of New York City's most notorious girl gang to a role-model. In her senior year, her boyfriend was killed and she landed in jail for robbery. It was at that point that Isis pledged to change if given the chance and founded the Youth Empowerment Mission. Now, through her work, she rescues and inspires other girls who fall into the deadly spiral of gang violence.
Presenting the Robin Hood Heroes Awards were Robin Hood board members Stanley Druckenmiller, Marie-Josée Kravis, Harvey Weinstein, Lee Ainslie, Marian Wright Edelman, and Paul Tudor Jones. Attending the breakfast were leaders from Wall Street, government, and entertainment, technology, and media industries.
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