Leake & Watts Invites 'Friends' to Its 2016 Spring Benefit, 'A Taste of the Milling Room,' to Celebrate It's Rapid Growth

With its sweet promise of summer, early June is in itself a cause for celebration. But this June is something else. It caps an extraordinary year of growth and success at Leake & Watts, so an extra special celebration is in order. Leake & Watts is happy to oblige. It is inviting friends and supporters, as well as anyone else who believes in its mission — supporting children, adults, and families so they can rise above adversity — to come to “A Taste of the Milling Room,” an evening of good food, colossal cocktails, and bonhomie that will take place on the evening of June 1st at The Milling Room, 446 Columbus Avenue in Manhattan. VIP guests will have a chance to concoct their own signature cocktails with the aid of the restaurant’s famed mixologists, and discover the “secret sauce” of the restaurant’s updated cocktail classics.

The number of children, adults, and families supported by Leake & Watts has grown from 8,000 a year ago to 11,000 at present. It now operates 43 programs at 27 sites, compared to 36 programs at 21 sites last spring. Leake & Watts’ expanded programs now include:

· “Community Schools,” or community hubs, at two Bronx schools to offer a wide range of educational and social services to students and families;

· A Limited Secure Placement Program in the Bronx — on of the first such juvenile justice programs in New York City as part of the “Close to Home” initiative;

· A community-based Respite Program for court-involved teens as an alternative incarceration;

· Leake & Watts’ first site in Brooklyn — a Non-Secure Placement Program for adjudicated young men;

· Its first site in Mount Vernon, where it assumed operation of a Day Habilitation Services Program to support adults with intellectual/development disabilities.

“We thank our over 1,300 employees for their tireless efforts, as well as the hard work and guidance of our extraordinary board of directors. It has been an exhilarating and fulfilling year in which we have expanded our programs by combining our core competencies and a variety of best practices in the field in supporting vulnerable children, adolescents and families, as well as adults with significant needs,” says Alan Mucatel, executive director of Leake & Watts. “But none of this would be possible without our generous supporters, who understand they are investing in the future of thousands of lives as well as in the future of our cities and communities.”

The Milling Room: An Ideal Spring Setting

The Milling Room is a perfect place in which to enjoy a spring evening. The restaurant’s skylight permits guests to witness the sky turning from blue to dusk. Roomy and comfortable, the upscale eatery reminds one of a rustic tavern with wood and brick walls, and a vaulted ceiling. Located in the heart of the Upper West Side near the American Museum of Natural History, The Milling Room serves fine American fare and handcrafted cocktails.

“A Taste of the Milling Room” begins with a VIP reception from 6 - 6:30 pm, when guests will be treated to demonstrations and make their own cocktails with the restaurant's renowned creative mixologists. At 6:30 pm, the party opens up to all and guests will mingle with Leake & Watts board members, executive staff, and several Leake-&-Watts-supported individuals. For added fun, Leake & Watts will raffle off exciting items, as well.

VIP tickets are $500; general admission costs $225. For more information, visit www.leakeandwatts.org/millingroom.