Supporting and providing healthcare in rural Haiti
The Haiti Project’s 12th annual Art & Soul Gala raises funds for the staffing, supplies, and operation of a medical clinic in Fiervil, Haiti for a full year. The clinic annually serves thousands of families from 45 remote mountainous communities by providing medical care that these residents would otherwise not have access to. The Art & Soul Gala is supported by local physicians, businesses, and families from the Hudson Valley.
We invite you to learn more, and to join us to celebrate the progress being made and to take a stand for improving healthcare accessibility in rural Haiti.
ART & SOUL GALA PROGRAM
Students from the Vassar Haiti Project have worked tirelessly planning the 12th annual
Art & Soul Gala - it’s going to be a fantastic evening!
VENUE: Vassar College Alumnae House, 161 College Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
HAITIAN ART: Peruse and purchase original Haitian art and handcraft available for sale throughout the evening.
Don’t forget: You receive a $50 credit with the purchase of your ticket
SCHEDULE:
5:30pm Music: Vassar Jazz Combo
Food: Delicious and eclectic hors d'oeuvres, desserts and beverages, catered by Twisted Soul.
6:45pm Art & Soul 2024 Honorees:
DANIEL Z. ARONZON, MD
EDWIDGE DANTICAT
7:30pm Music by La Bonne Vie…Paul Pesco and Arden Altino and special guests
DRESS: Informally fabulous!
PARKING: Due to construction, the College Avenue entrance to Alumnae House is closed. Instead, enter the parking lot via the Fulton Avenue entrance where there is limited parking. Street parking is also available along Raymond Avenue and Collegeview Avenue.
QUESTIONS: vhp@thehaitiproject.org or call 845.797.2123
ART & SOUL 2024 HONOREES
Daniel Z. Aronzon, M.D.
Danny Aronzon's impressive career in medicine began when he graduated from Union College and New York Medical College. He completed his Pediatric Residency and 4th year Chief Residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine – Jacobi Medical Center. He then joined the faculty at the NYU School of Medicine while also serving as Director of the Pediatric Emergency Service at Bellevue Hospital Center. He was recognized by the NYU graduating class of 1979 as its “Distinguished Teacher.”
Following, he joined a small pediatric practice in Poughkeepsie, practicing for 22 years. It grew into the Children’s Medical Group, one of the largest, most recognized practices in the Northeast. Retiring from full time practice, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Vassar Brothers Medical Center (VBMC) and Health Quest, its parent. From 2004 through 2011, he served as President and CEO of VBMC, leading it to unprecedented growth and earning national recognition in clinical excellence and patient safety. In recognition, Vassar’s Board named the new surgery center the Daniel Z. Aronzon Center for Ambulatory Surgery.
Danny’s legacy extends into the community: in collaboration with the Poughkeepsie Rotary, Danny organized a childhood immunization effort, increasing Dutchess vaccination rates from 65% to 90%. At Rehabilitation Programs, Inc., he made the region’s first developmental screening program for neonatal intensive care unit infants. In recognition of his work, he received lifetime achievement awards from United Way, Pattern for Progress, and Dutchess Community College. He also participated in many medical missions to Colombia, South America with Heal the Children.
In 2012, Danny became the founding Chair of the Haiti Project’s Medical Advisory Board, which oversees our medical clinic. His expertise has left an indelible mark on the lives of thousands of clinic patients.
Edwidge Danticat
No other writer captures the beauty and complexity of Haitian culture as does Edwidge Danticat. Edwidge, a Haitian-American writer and short story novelist, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and relocated to the United States at the age of twelve. Growing up in Haiti, she fondly recalls how her aunt and grandmother played a crucial role in entertaining the family during blackouts through captivating storytelling. This rich tradition, filled with the narratives of her heritage, significantly influenced Danticat. It not only sparked her interest in writing, it became a formative part of her journey as a writer, shaping her distinctive style and contributing to her later success.
A literary force with seventeen books to her name, Danticat boasts an impressive repertoire. Among her works are the Oprah Book Club selection Breath, Eyes, Memory, the National Book Award finalist Krik? Krak!, and American Book Award winner The Farming of Bones. She has written seven books for young adults and children, as well as short stories, travel narratives, and collections of essays.
Danticat has more than 30 prestigious awards adorning her literary journey. Her memoir, Brother, I’m Dying, won the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. She was the 2020 United States Artist Fellow, a Vilcek Prize laureate, and claimed the 2023 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Story.
Danticat's latest literary triumph, Everything Inside: Stories, won the 2020 Bocas Fiction Prize, The Story Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Prize. Her highly anticipated forthcoming essay collection, We’re Alone, will be released in the fall of 2024.
In the realm of literature, Danticat continues to blaze trails, inspire, and bring Haitian culture to life.
DIAMOND SPONSORS
Premier Medical Group
Ambassador John Loeb
Rutberg Breslow Personal Injury Law
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Eastdale Villages
Oak Wealth Group Management/Ryan Peek
GOLD SPONSORS
Carla Burns
Julia Humiston
Molly Katz & Dan Katz, MD
Arlene Seligman & Gilbert Seligman Cathy Schwartz
BRONZE SPONSORS
Nancy Belok & Adam Belok
Janet Ready & Jim Ready
Carly Ritter ‘06
COPPER SPONSORS
AJH Foundation
Joy Dryer, PhD and Sol Mora, MD Kristy Grimes + Barry Pfeifer
Karen Marder & Adam Rubenstein, MD Nuvance Health
Mary Sawyer & Anthony Yu
Ingrid Dodard, MD & Daryl Brown
Diane Cicatello, MD
Karen Greenbaum & Robert Greenbaum, OD
Amy Sherman
SILVER SPONSORS
Nancy Aronzon & Daniel Z. Aronzon, MD
Carole Berotte Joseph, PhD Christine Hauck ‘80
Kim Heller, MD & Ira Hochman
Hudson Valley Radiologists
Sarah Levin, MD & Joseph Tanski, PhD
Susan Levinson & David Schwartz
Mary Lunt & William Lunt
Sabrina Jaar Marzouka
Kristin Respass & John Respass
Shelley Tatelbaum & Ron Tatelbaum, MD
Toni Saychek, MD Cathy Schwartz Beth Teitelman Kwawer
Sunhee Woo, MD & David Cho, MD
FRIENDS
Nina Aronzon & Karl Rizzo Parvaneh Borojeni, MD Sheri Chin & Gordon Ng Megan Chipkin & Bruce Chipkin, MD
Alan Dunefsky & Francoise Dunefsky Adele El Kareh, MD
Merisdy Florexile
Bibi Giordano
Ashwin Gollerkeri and Sunita Goyal Rebecca Edwards, PhD Merisdy Florexile
Marc Habert, MD & Barbara Antwarg Debbie and Richard Horvath Paul and Chris Kardon William J. Linacre, DC. Jeanine Morelli, MD and Peter Morelli, MD
Ann Neary James Nelson & Margaret Nelson Jack O'Connell Rotary Club of Rhinebeck - Lou Turpin
Susan Stafford Peter Sullivan
Donna Maria Thibodeaux ‘76 Dana Vanderheyden & Mark Vanderheyden
Susan Wilson
SPONSOR INFORMATION
With appreciation for your contribution, your sponsorship includes tickets for the event.
Diamond Level $5,000 10 tickets
Platinum Level $3,000 8 tickets
Gold Level $1,500 6 tickets
Silver Level $1000 4 tickets
Bronze Level $750 4 tickets
Copper Level $500 2 tickets
Friend Level $250 2 tickets
BONUS: 15% discount on the purchase of any Haitian paintings
Become a Sponsor or Donate
Recognition and acknowledgment of your sponsorship will be included in the advertising for the Gala in local papers and magazines, on the VHP website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your sponsorship entitles you to a gift from Haitian artisans, and admission to the event.
To donate or become a sponsor:
Please mail a check to:
The Haiti Project
P.O. Box 2985
Poughkeepsie NY, 12603
Or fill out the form below: