ASTEP and Laura Benanti Will Honor Lutheran Social Services Of New York At 2019 Color Ball

Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP) announced today that it will honor its Community Partner Lutheran Social Services of New York at its annual Gala and Dinner, The ASTEP Color Ball on Monday, April 29, at Feinstein's/54 Below. Along with Artist/Activist Laura Benanti, ASTEP will celebrate the empowering arts programs they provide, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services of New York, for children who arrive in the United States as unaccompanied minors.

Dr. Keith Bell (Chair), Steven Farkas, Sheryl FitzGerald, Jaimie Mayer, Stephen Oremus, Cynthia Princi, Susan Vargo, and 2018 ASTEP Artist/Activist Honoree Georgia Stitt will serve as Host Committee for this special evening. The 2019 ASTEP Color Ball is a night to honor the Artists/Activists who inspire ASTEP students, the Sponsors who make our work possible and the Partners who join our efforts in giving children from underserved communities access to the power of the arts. The evening is conceived by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (ASTEP Founder and Co-Executive Director) and will allow ASTEP to give audience members an in depth look into our programs and the exciting work we have ahead of us.

The evening will begin with cocktails at 6:00 p.m. at Feinstein's/54 Below, followed by dinner and a performance including Benanti and many more from the Broadway community. Tickets start at $250 and are available online at www.astep.org/2019colorball.

Sponsorships are available by contacting Katherine Nolan Brown at katherine@asteponline.org or 212-921-1227. Proceeds from The Color Ball will help support ASTEP's mission of using the arts as a vehicle to teach young people the social emotional skills they need to be the best versions of themselves.

In addition to caring for children, Lutheran Social Services of New York enables individuals to reach their full potential. The agency educates children in nurturing environments through the operation of 7 childcare centers and a school for emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth from 3rd-12th grade, provides families for children, arranges safe and affordable housing, maintains hunger prevention centers and provides services for immigrants and refugees. Lutheran Social Services of New York draws on its heritage of hope for all people and looks back at a rich history of growth and development. We look ahead to the creation of new and expanded programs and services that give LIFE to individuals, families and communities.

ASTEP was conceived by Broadway musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth using the most powerful tool they had - their art. With programs as local as New York City and as global as India and South Africa, ASTEP Volunteer Teaching Artists deliver after-school workshops and summer camps in schools and community organizations that serve youth affected by immigration status, homelessness, gun-violence, incarceration, the justice system, HIV/AIDS, systemic poverty, and the caste system.

ASTEP's Board of Directors includes Thomas Fitzgerald (Chair), Jaimie Mayer (Vice Chair), Sheryl FitzGerald (Secretary), Sheri Sarkisian (Treasurer), as well as Laura Bray, Mark Canavera, Laura V. Chittick, Trupti Doshi, Steven Farkas, Sameer Garg, Jeffrey Korn, Sam Mintz, Henry Sham, and Gabrielle Speaks.

For more information about ASTEP or to Sponsor this event, contact Katherine Nolan Brown, Director of Development, katherine@asteponline.org, or to purchase tickets to the Gala, visit www.astep.org/2019colorball.