On Thursday, November 8th, Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) held their 2012 Benefit Dinner, “Investing in Children, Strengthening Families.” Over 600 guests gathered at The Waldorf = Astoria to honor Lillian D. Wald Award recipients Samuel C. Butler, Special Counsel at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, and Juliet Patterson, Emeritus Director and First VP of the Volunteer Council at VNSNY. The award, named after the public health pioneer and founder of VNSNY, is presented in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the health and welfare of others. Writer and television producer Susan Fales-Hill once again served as the evening’s emcee.

The evening raised a record $1.28 million for our Children and Family Services programs, which provide a comprehensive array of health care and mental health care services, as well as several innovative specialty support services to almost 10,000 children and their families, making it one of the largest programs of its kind in New York.

In addition to the touching remarks made by Mr. Butler and Ms. Patterson, the evening also featured an announcement on behalf of the VNSNY Board of Directors authorizing an initial contribution of $1 million dollars to establish the VNSNY Relief Fund. The Fund will provide immediate assistance to the patients and staff and other victims who were severely affected by superstorm Sandy. In keeping with that sentiment, the evening’s gift bags, initially intended for the attendees, were donated to the many patients still reeling from the storm.

For information on this or future events, please contact John Billeci, Director of Special Events, at 212-609-1565 or jbilleci@vnsny.org.