FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT, COOKE CENTER’S 25th ANNIVERSARY GALA NYC private provider of special education services to celebrate with legendary chefs NEW YORK, NY, April 20, 2012: The Cooke Center for Learning and Development will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration with a fundraiser, Food for Thought, on May 14th, 2012 at The Plaza Hotel. Honorees include Moody’s Corporation and Foundation and Marcia and Michael Beck. The evening will feature a five-course dinner prepared by chefs David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, Anita Lo, Jacques Torres, and David Waltuck. WABC-TV anchor Bill Ritter will host the event. The Moody’s Corporation and Foundation, to receive The Road to Independence Award, has been an integral partner to Cooke, donating over $1 million and employee volunteer time to Cooke in support of its “Transition to Life” program, while also supporting two Moody’s employees who serve as Cooke Trustees. Marcia and Michael Beck, who will receive The Founders Award, have been involved with Cooke since 1994 and are parents to a Cooke alumnus and participants in many of the strategic and educational initiatives underpinning Cooke’s growth. An anticipated audience of 500 will gather to support Cooke’s fundraising efforts for the $5 million Campaign for the Future. The Fund for Diversity will help Cooke continue its needs-blind admissions policy, which allows Cooke’s school programs to serve a diverse range of NYC families. The Fund for Technology and Capital will support Cooke facilities, including the Cooke Center Academy, a high school program located in Manhattan’s SoHo district, and the fall 2012 opening of the Cooke Center Grammar School on the Lower East Side, as well as incorporate needed technology in all sites. Food for Thought will begin with cocktails at 6pm, followed by dinner and awards at 7pm. The Plaza Hotel is located at Fifth Avenue at Central Park South, NYC. Cocktail attire is advised. Individual tickets are $1,000 and $2,500; tables are $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Rebecca Nelson at 212.675.9474 x10 or RNelson@sualtd.com. The Cooke Center is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization that provides special education instruction to more than 500 children and young adults through its Preschool, Lower and Middle School, Academy, and SKILLs programs. More than 3,000 students across the city will benefit from Cooke’s intensive teacher training services through the Cooke Center Institute and Collaboration for Inclusion programs. Cooke students range in age from 3 to 21, come from every borough in the city, and reflect the city’s economic and cultural diversity. Students come to Cooke because their families cannot find appropriate placements in the public school system. Cooke has a needs-blind admissions policy and more than 65% of Cooke families do not have the means to pay the full cost of tuition. ###