Yale notables and local luminaries will share their expertise while engaging in informal conversation at intimate dinners throughout New Haven on Thursday, Feb. 27 during a benefit for the LEAP (Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership) youth services program.
Now in its 19th year, the LEAP Year Event is the primary fundraiser for LEAP, which provides academic and social enrichment programs for New Haven children and youth ages 6 to 23.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception at Hopkins School 5–7 p.m., followed by intimate dinners at private homes and other venues at 7:30 p.m. Each dinner features a guest of honor from the worlds of visual arts, education, law, music, politics, environment, food, history, and more, who will share his or her insights and anecdotes. Admission is $150 for the reception and dinner; $50 for the reception alone. Young professionals (up to age 40) can purchase tickets at half price.
The Yale experts who will be featured are journalist Emily Bazelon, a research scholar and lecturer at Yale Law School; Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins; Beverly Gage, professor of history; Linda Greenhouse, a Nobel Prize-winning U.S. Supreme Court correspondent and Law School fellow; Dr. Harvey Kliman, a research scientist in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences; Jock Reynolds, director of the Yale University Art Gallery; Alicia Schmidt Comacho, professor of American studies and ethnicity, race, and migration; and Shana Schneider, a fitness advocate who works in Yale’s Office of International Affairs.
Other featured guests include former New Haven mayor John DeStefano Jr., NPR host John Dankosky, Southern Connecticut State University president Mary Papazian, and more.
For a full list of speakers and to register for the cocktail reception and/or one of the dinners, visit the Leap Year Event website or call 203-773-0770. Early reservations are encouraged.
More about LEAP
Established in 1992, LEAP develops the strengths and talents of young leaders, who create and implement year-round community-based and school-based programming designed to achieve positive academic and social outcomes for children living in high-poverty urban neighborhoods. Currently, LEAP serves more than 600 children and youth in New Haven at three year-round sites in Fair Haven, Church Street South, and Dwight; one summer site in Lower Dixwell; and year-round at the Roslyn Milstein Meyer LEAP Community Center.
