Boys & Girls Club Gala Honors Seema Boesky and Art Of Philanthropy

MOUNT KISCO, NY — On one special night, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester honored both those who the organization has helped and those who have helped the organization.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) hosted their 27th Gala this month, where they honored philanthropic community leader, Seema Boesky. More than 220 guests attended the gala at Crabtree's Kittle House in Chappaqua.

After two hours of enjoying the beautiful gardens, delicious food and laughing with friends, guests were welcomed by CEO Alyzza Ozer.

“We are here tonight to celebrate community. When our children, families, local schools, government and volunteers come together, we can accomplish greatness,” Ozer said.

She then highlighted many of the club’s recent accomplishments, including:

• This is the 13th year that 100% of the club’s high school seniors are graduating on time and going to university.
• BGCNW’s Marlins swim team has won the Boys & Girls Club of America’s National Championship for the past 21 years and for the first time in its 52-year history, was recognized by USA Swimming with a Bronze status.
• BGCNW’s Keystone Club was tied for first place for the Bedford 2030 Greenlight Leadership and Innovation Award. The winners were applauded for their advocacy skills, which is one of the club’s key programming differentiators.

The program then turned its attention to celebrating Boesky, who has been a passionate supporter of the club for 48 years. She partly attributes her support to the values her parents instilled in her about the importance of giving back.

“My parents taught me about wealth — its pluses and limitations. They agreed it can enrich life, but has a higher purpose, to make our world a better place through supporting and really getting involved with worthy organizations,” Boesky told those gathered.

The event also featured club alumnus, Marc Lener, who is a clinical psychiatrist, clinical psychiatric researcher, educator and social entrepreneur. Lener credits much of his success to the club.

Lener started coming to the club when he was three years old. A transracially adopted child, he was originally born in South Korea and lived with his parents in Mount Kisco. Unfortunately, Lener’s adoptive parents had mental health challenges that brought about financial and emotional turmoil.

BGCNW stepped in to help. Through the coaching, tutelage and guidance from the club’s Dennis Munson, club staff and caring swim team families, his swimming and academic talents provided him with opportunities.

“Community isn’t just about giving to the needy or the underserved, " Lener said. "Each of us will struggle and succeed along the way. It’s about creating a space to allow humans to elevate other humans. In this time of tension and division, we need to focus on community and the ties that bind us."

Years after his experience with the club, Lener met Boesky through volunteering at the club. They immediately clicked and have formed a special bond through their shared interest in community service.

The evening concluded with a live auction, which included an opportunity to go horseback riding and have breakfast with Martha Stewart at her Katonah estate. It sold for $25,000.

All the event’s proceeds go to helping the club to continue to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need them the most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

In addition to the evening’s speeches and auction, the gala also included a virtual reality hidden story treasure hunt of nine 15-30 second video stories placed throughout. These stories were personal testimonials from current and former club members as well as longtime staff members. Attendees were thrilled to access the stories using their phones.

One especially touching video featured Jack Madden, a graduating senior at Briarcliff High School, who will be attending Tufts University in the fall. He revealed, "Whenever I feel lost or confused, I come here. I recently lost my father and they've all been so helpful and really supportive with my hard time."