LEAP Year Event
30 Years & Counting
2024 Reception Pictures
Thank you for joining us at the 2024 LEAP Year Event! With your help, we raised over $450,000 and welcomed over 500 guests in the Greater New Haven area and beyond to gather in support of Creating a New Haven for Our Children. Please email rsvp@leapforkids.org if you are interested in supporting the event next year as a Host, Sponsor, or Guest of Honor.​​
Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 27th, 2025!
Join us for an exciting LEAP Year Event, where we will honor Ann Baker Pepe and Ed Cleary, Co-Board Chairs, with the LEAP Community Leadership Award! The evening will start with a cocktail reception at the Dixwell Community (Q) House, followed by your choice of dinner and conversation. We will also hold conversations on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 & Saturday, March 1st, 2025. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with members of the community and deepen your knowledge!
Tickets for our LEAP Year Event will go on sale the last week of January.
LEAP Year Event is our annual fundraiser when the community comes together to make LEAP's free after-school and summer programs for youth from underserved New Haven neighborhoods possible. This year, we are excited to honor Ann Baker Pepe and Ed Cleary, Co-Board Chairs, with the LEAP Community Leadership Award! The event will be on Thursday, February 27, 2025, with additional conversations on Thursday, February 20th & Saturday, March 1st.
The evening will begin with an in-person cocktail reception at the Dixwell Community Center (Q House) that will include a welcome from Henry Fernandez, LEAP's Executive Director, and an opportunity to hear from LEAP counselors. Guests will then go to the dinners with their choice of topic and Guests of Honor.
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LEAP Year Event is LEAP's most important fundraiser with over 500 philanthropic donors, business professionals, and community leaders from the Greater New Haven area attending. In 2024, you helped us raise over $450,000 to make LEAP's free programs possible. Please email Alison Bonds at abonds@leapforkids.org if you are interested in supporting the event this year as a sponsor or have questions about registering. With your partnership, we will continue to Create a New Haven for Our Children.
There are many roles that make the LEAP Year Event possible each year. We would love for you to join in any capacity you feel comfortable.
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Sponsor: Looking to support a great cause while getting unmatched publicity with prominent business leaders and community members in the New Haven area? Become a Sponsor at one of the many levels available, from Neighbor (contributing $500) to Superhero (contributing $50,000). Your name and logo will be shared in multiple print and digital materials which are distributed to our database of over 5,000 people. Click here for a more detailed description of the sponsor levels and benefits.
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Attendee: Join the event by purchasing tickets to the conversation of your choosing, including in-person and virtual options. Have a wonderful evening knowing that you are supporting an amazing cause.
Dinner Host: If you're interested in hosting a conversation in your home or at a local restuarant, please contact Alison Bonds at abonds@leapforkids.org. Hosts generously cover the cost of food and drinks for approximately 20 guests as a contribution to LEAP.
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Interested in any of these roles? Contact Alison Bonds, LEAP Year Event Coordinator, at abonds@leapforkids.org or by phone at 203-767-7413.
Thank You to Our
LEAP Year Event 2025 Sponsors
Superhero
Champion
The Scillia Familia
Roz & Jerry Meyer
Hero
Roger Ibbotson
Julie Wilson
Stacey & Hap Perkins with
Leader
Carol Sirot
Mentor
Jacqueline Koral
Lindy Lee Gold
Celeste Myers
Joann Thompson & Robert Alvine
Educator
Dr. Marcus McFerren with
Cynthia Mann, MD
Marna Borgstrom & Eric Borgstrom
Athlete
Ruby Melton & Gail McAvay
Ellen Shuman & Doug Rae
Partner
Jody Ellant with
Alison Bonds & Larry Levine
John S. Nussbaum
Barb & George Germano
Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury
Lisa Stanger & Greg Colodner
Terry & Carl Porto
Friend
Sue McDonald & Corey Stone
Mark & Lynn Schpero
Kathryn Hill & Gerald Kahn
Kaaren Jansen & Robert Jaeger
Jen & Rob Bayer
Marian Chertow & Matthew Nemerson
Neighbor
Thank you to our LEAP Year Event Planning Committee
Eliana Arroyo
Ann Baker Pepe
Alison L. Bonds
Rachel Kline Brown
Ruofan Chen
Jack Ciccolo
Judy Clark
Susan Kerley
Jacqueline Koral
Melissa Liriano
Cynthia Mann
Thea Moritz
Michaela Seales
Fallon Thomas
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