An Evening to Remember

It was in 1967 that David Rothenberg founded The Fortune Society. This year, we celebrated this achievement, and the historic impact it produced. Our celebration culminated in this week’s 50th Anniversary Gala, with Brian Vines as our Emcee.

Inside Tribeca 360°, with the stunning New York City skyline as our backdrop, attendees were treated to a night of inspiration and remembrance. And we were motivated to continue advancing criminal justice reform and providing a pathway to hope for individuals with justice involvement. In fact, we have raised over $815,000 this year in support of these ongoing efforts. 

Cocktails and the music of John and Jonathan launched our evening. One half of the duo, John Runowciz, is Fortune’s Manager of Creative Arts. Then, over meals and community-building conversation, renowned jazz vocalist Thos Shipley reminded us that one voice can change the world. It was the perfect way to frame the recognition for our night’s honorees: Mark D. Lebow, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, and David Rothenberg.

Mark D. Lebow is the secretary of Fortune’s Board of Directors. We honored him with the evening’s Game Changer Award, in recognition for his lifetime of philanthropy through organizations like St. Francis Friends of the Poor and American Friends of Magen David Adom, in addition to The Fortune Society.

Khalil Gibran Muhammad received our David Rothenberg Achievement Award. A professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and the Suzanne Young Murray Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Khalil is an expert on the broad intersections of race, democracy, inequality, and criminal justice in modern U.S. history.

50 years after founding The Fortune Society, we were proud to honor David Rothenberg with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. From the stages of Broadway to the prisons of Attica, David has been a beacon of light for thousands of individuals with justice involvement. Thanks to him, over 7,000 individuals each year benefit from Fortune’s services and resources.

In addition to the night’s honorees, two participants from our Employment Services program moved us with their stories. Their perseverance, dedication, and bright spirit inspired us all.

Ronald De La Cruz thrived in a Bloomberg LP internship and is now pursuing a great career in Workplace Operations. He described why the work of Fortune is important and its impact on his life.

Adrian Wyatt, who also completed a Bloomberg LP internship, is now pursuing a career in IT. He described the critical role Fortune played in his success.

The legendary Christine Ebersole closed out our evening with a stunning rendition of S’Wonderful. The two-time Tony Award-winner, who is currently starring on Broadway in War Paint, discovered the work of David Rothenberg after listening to his radio show on WBAI. She has been a friend ever since, and was honored to support our mission just as we were to have her enchant us.

For 50 years, The Fortune Society has inspired hope and new opportunity for thousands of individuals. Our 50th Anniversary Gala was a reflection of this continued journey, one that we hope to build for 50 more years and beyond. See more photos of the celebration on Facebook.

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