Casita Maria | News Archive

Citibank, Con Edison, Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and Catholic Charities Contribute over $25,000

Director of Community Relations Receives Puerto Rican Heritage Award

Rounding out the close of a very busy 2006, Casita Maria has been busily accepting awards for its after school and community programs. Employee and community funds established at Citibank and Con Edison of New York contributed $10,000.00 and $5,000 respectively for tutoring services to raise the bar for local after school students through Casita Maria's StepUp! program. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York bestowed a Cardinal Award of $5,000 for work with women and children, and the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce gave $400.00 for holiday toys and committed an extra $1,600.00 to Casita Maria's Summer Learning Institute.

Of note, Casita Maria's very own Raesha Cartagena, Director of Community Relations and Associate Director of Development, received a Puerto Rican Heritage Award on November 15th for her Dedication and Commitment to the Puerto Rican Community throughout her fifteen-year career in both nonprofit and for profit sectors in Manhattan, East and West Harlem and the South Bronx. Upon acceptance, Ms. Cartagena dedicated the award to her parents, and on behalf of Casita Maria's Board of Directors and staff, we express our condolences upon the loss of her father, Marcos Cartagena, shortly following the award presentation on November 24th.

Casita Maria, New York’s oldest settlement house serving the Hispanic communities of the South Bronx and East Harlem, held its annual black tie Fiesta dinner dance and fund-raiser at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.

The evening’s highlight was the presentation of the prestigious Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor, bestowed annually upon three individuals who have made outstanding humanitarian, philanthropic and cultural contributions to the community at large and to the Hispanic community in particular.

This year’s honorees were Aileen Mehle, aka Suzy, famed writer and columnist and wonderful friend to Casita Maria for many years, William R. Rhodes, Chairman, President and CEO of Citibank, N.A. and Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup and Eduardo Sánchez Pérez, Director Adjunto of Hola Magazine.

Fiesta 2006 Co-Chairmen, Jackie Weld Drake, Carolina Herrera and H.R.H. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia hosted the very dazzling and successful evening. Mario Buatta along with NBC 4’s Monica Morales were Masters of Ceremonies.

The evening began with Cocktails at 7:30 PM followed by the brief awards presentation, then dinner and dancing to The Bob Hardwick Sound at 8:30 PM.

Fiesta also featured a luxurious and unique silent auction headed up by Junior Co-Chairs Mati Bonnetti Buccini and Graciela Dauhajre.

Bronx, NY-- On Friday, January 27, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Casita Maria’s Executive Director & CEO, Lue Ann Eldar, and staff held their first “meet and greet” of the year for Hunts Point/Longwood merchants, educators, legislators, and community residents.

Over a light breakfast, Ms. Eldar and her staff conducted an information forum that included two video presentations with a Q&A session about Casita Maria’s anticipated transition from 2006 to 2008 to make way for a proposed arts and educational facility -- The Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists at Casita Maria (BSSWA @ CM) -- in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education on Casita’s Bronx property at 928 Simpson Street.

Among the attendees were representatives from Citibank, Banco Popular, New York National Bank, Healthfirst, Streetwise Partners, El Museo del Barrio, Better Bronx for Youth Consortium, Empire State Development, New York City School Construction Authority, Source International, Clean Energy Systems, Gomez Cleaning, Artistic Resources Development, Aspira and The Bronx Times. Casita also welcomed the presence of Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr., Assistant Commissioner Chris Caruso and OST Director Darryl Rattray of The Department of Youth and Community Development, Cheryl Simmons-Oliver of Congressman Jose Serrano’s office and Project Manager Sharon Den of the office of the Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs.

Through a brief video and powerpoint presentation orchestrated by Ms. Eldar and Casita’s architect and construction teams, Mark Lippi of Hillier Architecture and Bernard Forte of The New York City School Construction Authority, attendees engaged in a Q& A session that broaden their prospective about the goals and new vision for Casita in the months ahead.

As a member of the Hispanic Federation and The National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, Casita Maria is excited about the future growth of this community and Casita’s role in it.

Just as New Yorkers were making preparations for the holidays, public transportation was halted for three days. Without a hitch, Casita Maria enacted a plan whereby our dedicated staff walked, carpooled and biked to continue vital services and holiday cheer to those that consider us as their extended family.

In the Bronx, Casita opened the doors on time for The Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists, served close to 200 meals to community after schoolers and helped 32 families in need. In East Harlem, 267 meals were provided to healthy seniors through our Carver Senior Center. Operating at 43% of staff, our Homebound peer visitors and management kept up the momentum with 8 visits, 69 phone calls, 55 case management sessions and a host of errands for our frailest of senior citizens.

Just before, during and after the strike, Casita Maria treated Bronx after schoolers to a holiday party and a semester-end demonstration with perfomances by their own salsa, ballet, spoken word, drama, violin and choral ensembles in the StepUp! program. We also conducted a vacation school from 12/27-30/2005 where students aged 6-12 were treated to stimulating activities and field trips. On the community side, seniors took part in a special holiday celebration with Puerto Rican indigenous foods and a musical ensemble--bringing cheer and a lovely holiday season to all.

Audrey Gruss, Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno, Thomas C. Quick
Honored at Casita Maria's Fiesta 2005

Celebrating 71 years of service as one of New York's oldest settlement houses serving the Hispanic communities of the South Bronx and East Harlem, Casita Maria held its annual black tie Fiesta dinner dance and fundraiser at the Mandarin Hotel. The evening's highlight was the presentation of three prestigious Gold Medal of Honor awards to individuals who have made outstanding humanitarian, philanthropic and cultural contributions to the community at large and to the Hispanic community in particular.

As part of the introduction for the honorees, Casita Maria’s Board Chairwoman Jacqueline Weld Drake shared how the Fiesta party started in the 1940's with attendees having dinner and playing bridge to raise funds. “How far we have come”, Mrs. Drake mentioned jovially. This year's honorees included, Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank; Thomas C. Quick, Financier and former Vice Chairman of Quick & Reilly/Fleet Securities; and Mrs. Audrey Butvay Gruss, Philanthropist and President of the Audrey and Martin Gruss Foundation.

With a live Latin Band and dazzling room filled with elegant décor of Fiesta colors, guests enjoyed dining, dancing and a silent auction on top of the Time Warner Mandarin Hotel that made the evening they were experiencing quite riveting!

Coupled with exciting news of multi-year public support from city, state and federal sources, credit for this evening's success went to the evening's organizer, Nixon Richman & Co., and Honorary Chairmen Wolfgang & Anne Eisenhower Flottl, joined by Fiesta 2005 Co-Chairmen, Joanne de Guardiola, Jacqueline Weld Drake, Christine Hearst Schwarzman and H.R.H. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia; exiting party-goers said that this year’s Fiesta was definitely unforgettable.

Monday, Nov. 21, 2005 - It was a time for giving at Casita Maria as the Bronx Borough President, Adolfo Carrion, joined the entire staff to celebrate Thanksgiving and donated 50 turkeys to a selected group of needy families whose children attend the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists, Casita Maria’s After School Program and the neighboring community. With smiles and joyous anticipation, these families enjoyed a festive afternoon with their children, took photo ops with Mr. Carrion and received 12-14 lb. turkeys with recipe cards that gave tips on how to cook a healthy Thanksgiving meal. In great appreciation, we thank this year’s sponsors Health Plus, Baldor, Profoods, WestConn and Salsa Caterers for their generosity and time in making this possible.

Thursday, Nov.24, 2005 - Overcast skies didn’t seem to stop Anna Maria Dominguez from attending the 14th Annual Thanksgiving Celebration at Casita Maria’s Carver Senior Center this year. After 12 years at the center, she didn’t see herself any place else. “My family called and couldn’t decide where they wanted me to go or who would pick me up. And I told them, never mind, I’m going to Casita.”

With a dedicated staff and 17 volunteers, Casita Maria served nearly 140 seniors on Thanksgiving Day. The seniors not only were welcomed with a healthy meal, that included turkey, yellow rice with pigeon peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and fresh apple cider, but they enjoyed live music by Junior Gonzalez y su trio los Boricanos where they danced the afternoon away. “It means so much for us [staff] to be here for them,” expressed Diana Ayala, Program Director for the Carver Senior Center. “Some of them would be alone today if we weren’t here. What we do makes a tremendous difference for all of our seniors.”

We also add special thanks to the Latino Gerontological Center and founder, Mario Tapia, who has co-sponsored the event each year and has made such a difference in the lives of our elderly in the Latino community. For more information, go to http://www.gerolatino.org/index_english.html.

Monday, Nov. 21, 2005 - For 10-year old Brittany Torres, going on a field trip with her classmates to the Diller Quaille School of Music was exciting. As a second year violin student at Casita Maria, Brittany enjoyed her visit to the school. “It was a great time and I’m glad we had a chance to go,” she said. “Even though I felt they played better, I still think I can play good too.” Diller Quaille, who has been one of Casita Maria’s partners in the StepUp After School Program since 2004, has drawn interest in other kids in learning to play the violin this year. Louis Caceres and Raymond Peguero who are first year violin students at Casita Maria felt the experience was worth while. “I thought it was good because I saw kids like me learning how to play,” said Raymond, 9. His friend Luis wasn’t as convinced. “I thought it was boring because we played the same songs over and over,” Nine-year old Louis joked. “I think if this doesn’t work out, I’ll learn to play the guitar.”

Casita Maria celebrated its 71st Anniversary at their Annual Community Breakfast, in commemoration of Bronx Community Awareness Week on June 20, 2005, at the New York Botanical Gardens. As one of the oldest settlement houses in the Bronx, Casita has reemerged as a pinnacle of higher learning through its Step Up After School and Out of School Time programs and has created workshops with arts-based partners like American Ballet Theatre, Diller Quaile School of Music, Early Stages and Francisco Nunez’ Young People Chorus to create a platform of the cultural arts for Casita’s 130 enrolled students.

Casita would like to acknowledge the following champions in the arts, education and business, who have supported their efforts toward a brighter future for the children, families and elders we serve each day.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff at Casita Maria, we thank you for your tireless efforts and support in helping Casita Maria reach its goals for the future.

CASITA MARIA HOSTS PRESS CONFERENCE FOR PARTNERSHIP FOR PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE FREE BI-LINGUAL PROGRAM

Harlem, New York -- On August 31, 2005, at 10:30 a.m., Casita Maria's Carver Senior Center will host a press conference for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARx for NY) - a free bi-lingual program that will make it easier and less time-consuming for low income and uninsured patients to access and apply for prescription assistance programs.

The program is available via its website (www.PPARX.org) and a toll-free call center 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) to help patients and providers find and apply for assistance. The toll free call center is staffed by live bi-lingual operators (English and Spanish, - and more than 17 other languages) who help callers identify patient assistance programs and fill out application forms.

Casita Maria has been operating community, social and education services out of East Harlem since 1934 and has been the sponsor of senior services since 1958 from the Carver Senior Center.

Location:

Carver Senior Center
55 East 102nd Street, New York, NY 10029
Tel. 212-289-2708 Fax. 212-360-1947

March 31, 2005, Bronx, New York --- Inside Schools, an organization that provides independent guides on New York City public schools, recently visited the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists (BSSWA), which is housed at Casita Maria.

Lue Ann Eldar, Executive Director & CEO of Casita Maria said, "We are pleased that the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists got a great write-up from Inside Schools. We even think that their stated downside: 'Rigorous academic curriculum and demanding after-hours schedule will not be for everyone' is also an advantage."

January 11, 2005 -- On the heels of last year's DanceArriba! with American Ballet Theatre, this year, Casita Maria, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas representing twelve countries and six-time Grammy Award winning saxophonist/clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera upon his 50-Year celebration the previous evening at Carnegie Hall, proudly presented a student workshop: Arriba la Musica / Up with Music! uptown at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Hosted by Sesame Street's Sonia Manzano with soloists soprano Brenda Feliciano, pianist Alon Yavnai and young Casita Maria violinists under the tutelage of Diller Quaile's teaching artist Ashley Pensinger, Arriba la Musica's virtuosic program took a thousand public school middle to high schoolers and their teachers on a musical journey intertwining jazz, traditional Mexican and classical sounds from such composers as Marquez, D'Rivera, Gershwin and Mozart.

As he joined the musicians on stage to present a mock check, the workshop's major sponsor, Goya Foods' Director of Public Affairs, Rafael Toro, said "On days like this, I really like what I do! I hope by giving these students the opportunity to hear such greats as Paquito D'Rivera and this fabulous orchestra, there will be a future musican or two in the audience. Expect us back next year!"

Here's what some of the students who attended from New York City's PS 24 Fifth Grade Honors class had to say in their thank-you letters about Arriba la Musica!

Casita Maria After School programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, New York State Child and Family Services, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, The Charles Hayden Foundation, The Starr Foundation, The Altman Foundation and other private funders. This collaborative workshop for New York City public school students and other appearances by the Youth Orchestra of the Americas were supported by Deutsche Bank AG, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Ray and Barbara Dalio, Goya Foods, LatinCollector, Violy & Co., and in part from the National Endowment for the Arts.

CASITA MARIA, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SAXOPHONIST PAQUITO D'RIVERA AND YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF THE AMERICAS TEAM UP FOR ARRIBA LA MUSICA / UP WITH MUSIC AT THE APOLLO THEATER

On the heels of last year's successful DanceArriba! with American Ballet Theatre, this year, on January 11th, 2005 at 11:00 a.m., Casita Maria is proud to present a student workshop: Arriba la Musica / Up with Music! at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Casita Maria's Executive Director & CEO, Lue Ann Eldar, describes the workshop as "a collaborative event to celebrate Hispanics and diversity in classical music, arts education in public and after schools, and to highlight the continuation of 'best practices' partnerships so vital to Casita's community after school programming."

With Sesame Street's Sonia Manzano as emcee, this special young people's workshop offers reserved seating to 1,200 public school teachers and their students and is made possible by a growing list of sponsors including Deutsche Bank AG, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Ray and Barbara Dalio, Goya Foods, LatinCollector, Violy & Co., and an award from the National Endowment of the Arts.

Arriba la Musica's virtuosic program of Marquez, D'Rivera and Gershwin will also include a Mozart piece played by the children in the Diller-Quaile School of Music Suzuki Violin program at Casita Maria. Paquito D'Rivera is sharing his talents with school children after his 50th Anniversary Celebration at Carnegie Hall on the evening of January 10th.

The Youth Orchestra of the Americas is under the artistic advisement of Placido Domingo and Principal Conductor, Carlos Miguel Prieto.

For reserved seating and more information, contact Norma Gonzalez at
718-589-2230, x 11.

OCTOBER 19TH PROCLAIMED BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG
AS CASITA MARIA FIESTA 2004 DAY
Lewis S. Ranieri, Liliana and Federico Sada and David Shedlarz
Honored at Casita Maria's Fiesta 2004

Before Executive Director & CEO Lue Ann Eldar turned the dais over to Master of Ceremonies Mario "Prince of Chintz" Buatta, Dr. Ester Fuchs, Special Advisor to New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced to more than 450 attendees that October 19th was Casita Maria Fiesta 2004 Day! Celebrating 70 years of service, New York's oldest settlement house serving the Hispanic communities of the South Bronx and East Harlem, Casita Maria held its annual black tie Fiesta dinner dance and fund-raiser at the Plaza Hotel. The evening's highlight was the presentation of three prestigious Gold Medal of Honor awards to individuals who have made outstanding humanitarian, philanthropic and cultural contributions to the community at large and to the Hispanic community in particular.

As she introduced two of the honorees, NBC Anchorwoman Felicia Taylor mentioned how the Fiesta party started in the 1940's with attendees having dinner and playing bridge to raise funds. This year's honorees, Chairman of Hyperion Partners and Chairman of the Board of American Ballet Theatre, Lewis S. Ranieri; Mexican industrialist, Federico Sada and his philanthropist wife, Liliana, and David L. Shedlarz, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pfizer, Inc.and guests, who were serenaded by Mariachis and the Bob Harwick Sound Band, were experiencing something quite different and exhiliarating!

Public officials such as Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Deputy Commissioner Janice Molnar and representatives from various legislative offices came to the event. Coupled with exciting news of multi-year public support from city, state and federal sources, credit for this evening's success went to the evening's organizer, Nixon Richman & Co., and Honorary Chairmen Wolfgang & Anne Eisenhower Flottl, joined by Fiesta 2004 Co-Chairmen, Joanne de Guardiola, Jacqueline Weld Drake, Christine Hearst Schwarzman and H.R.H. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, exiting party-goers said that this was the most exciting Fiesta evening ever!

Teaching Artists from Major Arts and Literacy Organizations join Casita Maria in Offering Premier After School Instruction to South Bronx Youngsters

On Monday, October 4, 2004, building upon its 70-year history of after school offerings to mostly first time Hispanic immigrant youth, Casita Maria's auditorium was packed with close to 200 eager parents and students to hear presentations from participant organizations who are collaborating with Casita Maria to deliver South Bronx students an arts, literacy and Job Readiness-based After School: Step Up! (formerly, QUAD).

Now fully subscribed with 80 after schoolers, this six-tier pedagogically-based Arts program leads students through exposure, beginning skills, academic achievement, intermediate skills, career exploration and community service. In addition to the program's emphasis on homework completion, life skills ("Spirtuality for Kids") and academic excellence, students benefit from teaching artists from a host of what Casita Maria calls "best practices" local and international participant organizations: American Ballet Theatre (dance production), Diller-Quaile School of Music (violin), Creative Edge (career exploration), Renaissance - EMS (pop/band music), Early Stages (literacy) and Society of Educational Arts/Sociedad Educativa de Las Artes (bilingual theatre). Science and math enrichment through the New York Hall of Science is also available. Students are able to enjoy up to four electives throughout the academic year.

Classes began in earnest on October 12th. The program will be independently evaluated to validate its impact on the students' academic success. Step Up! (formerly, QUAD) received its initial curriculum development funding from the Bodman Foundation through which Casita engaged a nationally renowned arts education firm, Artsvision. Casita Maria's Step Up! is also the beneficiary of a two-year federal grant from the Department of Justice used to implement the program. Other funding sources to support Casita Maria's After School come from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development as well as foundation, corporate and individual donations.

CASITA MARIA IN ITS 70TH YEAR, BOLSTERS PRESENCE IN EDUCATION AND ARTS TO SUPPORT BRONX-HUNTS POINT ECONOMIC RESURGENCE

Deputy Executive Director H. Alex Ruiz Leaves Casita Maria to Join Marketing Firm --Digitas

Casita Maria Management Team Aligns Organization around After School Education and the Arts while Addressing Critical Needs of Community

Casita Maria becomes Site for New Public High School (Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists) under Principal David Vazquez beginning September 13th

BRONX -- September 13, 2004 -- H. Alex Ruiz returns to his corporate roots after nearly two years as Deputy Executive Director of Operations for Casita Maria --a New York City charitable institution serving Hispanics since 1934. Mr. Ruiz will manage large corporate relationships at Digitas, a marketing and communications Boston-based consulting firm and will continue his affiliation with the charity as a member of Casita Maria’s Advisory Committee under Chairman of the Board, Jacqueline Weld Drake.

Casita Maria's Executive Director & CEO, Lue Ann Eldar, who originally recruited Mr. Ruiz in November 2002 said “Alex was instrumental in helping transition this organization toward an educational focus so sorely needed in the community. We are glad that he will stay in the Casita family as a volunteer and potential donor.”

Under Ms. Eldar's leadership, members of the Casita Maria executive team heading efforts in Education, Administration and Community Relations are:

Education

For more information, please contact info@casita.us or Norma Gonzalez at 718-589-2230, x 11.

THE SCAFFOLDING'S UP!
Workers are Readying Classrooms for a
New School at Casita Maria

On September 13, 2004, Casita Maria became the site of the new Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists (BSSWA) under Principal David Vazquez. Filling a very needed void in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, the Chancellor-approved small public school will be starting with seventy-five 6th Graders and will grow a grade per year to the 12th Grade.

Casita Maria's Executive Director and CEO Lue Ann Eldar said, "We are thrilled that the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists will start its history to promote academic success at 928 Simpson Street!"

Along with other students from the community, BSSWA students will be offered a chance to participate in Casita Maria's federally-seeded arts-based afterschool program called StepUp! (formerly QUAD) --slated to start in October.

New York Times Seminar On a pleasantly mild May 4th evening, Casita Maria's Deputy Executive Director, H. Alex Ruiz, and New York Times' Jennifer Pauly welcomed nearly one hundred participants to an informational seminar about challenges facing immigrants at Casita's South Bronx headquarters.

Sponsored by the New York Times, El Diario, HSBC and the World Journal, this free panel discussion introduced expert representatives of leading organizations including Citizen's Advice Bureau, The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the Highbridge Community Life Center, Casita Maria, Legal Aid Society as well as the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence. The lively panel discussion in Spanish touched on topics such as legal status and documentation, education, affordable health care, housing, employment and more.

Audience members each received a free copy of the book: New York Times Guide for Immigrants in New York City, which is written in Spanish, Chinese and English -- all under the same cover!

CASITA MARIA, YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF THE AMERICAS & AMERICAS SOCIETY PRESENT FREE CONCERT

On March 28th --made possible through the generosity of Wolfgang and Anne Eisenhower Flöttl, Synagro, and Sergio Millerman of Safra National Bank-- a Camerata Americas wind and percussion ensemble comprised of Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) musicians from Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, México and the U.S., performed a lively selection of pieces by Chávez, Piazzola and Meza for an enthusiastic audience of families and youth at Casita's Bronx headquarters on Simpson Street.

Casita Maria & Youth Orchestras of the Americas The event launched a joint initiative between Casita Maria, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) and The Americas Society -- to create a forum for grassroots diplomacy where mostly Latin American youth interact with their counterparts in the Bronx through the universal language of music. Plácido Domingo, Artistic Advisor for the YOA, Debra McKeon, YOA Managing Director & CEO, Susan Segal, President & CEO of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and Lue Ann Eldar, Executive Director & CEO of Casita Maria have all lent their enthusiastic support for this initiative and ongoing arts-in-afterschool programming efforts at Casita Maria. One of Casita's board members, Violy McCausland Seve, is also a founder of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. Additional support for the YOA East Coast tour of free concerts by Camerata Americas was provided by The New York Friends of the YOA, Citigroup Foundation, The President's Committee for the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Friends of the YOA, and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.

Girl Learns Drums On March 29th, at the historic Park Avenue mansion which houses The Americas Society, a private reception was held for local and diplomatic dignitaries, board members and supporters of these three organizations to receive these talented young emissaries. With representation from the Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol in attendance, a proclamation signed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was presented, designating March 29, 2004 as Camerata Americas Day!

For more information, please visit: Youth Orchestra of the Americas web site.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AND CASITA MARIA's DANCE ARRIBA! A HIT AT APOLLO THEATER
On Tuesday, January 27, 2004, American Ballet Theatre and Casita Maria presented Dance Arriba!, a benefit evening of performance in celebration of Latin culture, at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater.

Hosted by Sonia Manzano (Maria from Sesame Street), the evening included highlights from American Ballet Theatre's contemporary and classical repertory, performed by some of its celebrated Latin artists, including Principal Dancers Paloma Herrera, Xiomara Reyes, Jose Manuel Carrero, Angel Corella, and Marcelo Gomes. Also featured were an original tango-inspired ballet, created through the ABT/Casita Maria Make a Ballet program and performed by the children of Casita Maria. In addition, the evening honored former ABT star Lupe Serrano. Florida's Pedro "Cuban Pete" Aguilar, a Casita kid from the 40's and a famed salsa and mambo dancer as well as choreographer, was also recognized from the podium for his influence in dance. Proceeds from the event benefitted ABT's Make a Ballet partnership with Casita Maria, the oldest New York City charitable institution serving the Hispanic community in New York City.

American Ballet Theatre's Make a Ballet program is a sustained arts-in-education program, focused on the creation, production, and performance of an original dance piece under the guidance of ABT teaching artists. Through weekly lessons at Casita Maria, children are taught to successfully choreograph an original dance piece, build sets and costumes, and make administrative decisions. Make a Ballet helps students develop skills with life-long applicability while drawing on resources from regular school studies. In addition to performances in their communities, selected Make a Ballet students present their work during ABT's annual Young People's Ballet Workshop at the Metropolitan Opera House.

For more information, please visit www.abt.org.

Casita held its annual Fiesta on Tuesday, October 21st, 2003, at the famed Plaza Hotel in New York City. The black-tie dinner dance and silent auction attractedover 400 of the most prominent individuals from the corporate world, as well as New York and international society. The Gala is co-chaired by Jacqueline Weld Drake.

One of this year's three honorees was the much loved Mrs. Paul (Daisy) Soros. A long-time friend and supporter of Casita Maria, Daisy is known for her exemplary work on behalf of first generation young Americans through the Daisy and Paul Soros Fellowships for New Americans fund. Mrs. Soros is also a member of the Board and Executive Committee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as well as a member of the boards of the New York Philharmonic, International House, and Cornell University Weill Medical College.

Cristina Saralegui, a 30-year veteran of journalism, who was the first Spanish-language television personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was also a Gold Medal honoree at this year's Fiesta! A recipient of numerous prestigious awards in communications, leadership and philanthropy, Cristina shows her commitment to the Latino community in areas such as healthcare, educational enrichment and the growing importance of Hispanics in the United States. Along with her manager husband, Marcos Avila, one of the founding members of "Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine", they have a foundation called Arriba la Vida/Up with Life Foundation dedicated to the causes of AIDS and its affects on the U.S. Hispanic population.

The third honoree was internationally renowned interior designer, Juan Pablo Molyneux, a great friend of Casita Maria. Born in Santiago, Chile, Mr. Molyneux studied architecture at the Catholic University in Santiago and continued his architectural studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He also studied Egyptology at the Ecole du Louvre. By the age of 27, Mr. Molyneux had already earned a reputation as one of the top designers in Chile. He was awarded a one-man show at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. In 1975 Mr. Molyneux and his wife, Pilar (born in Santiago, Chile), relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina. There he reestablished his business and continued winning prestigious clients throughout South America, Europe and the United States. In 1982 he opened a second office in New York City to work more closely with his North American clientele. After a short time, Mr. and Mrs. Molyneux moved permanently to New York.

Bronx Week was held the week of Monday, June 16, 2003, with Casita's third annual community event on Monday morning, June 16th honoring Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr., for his Borough-wide Stewardship. Other honorees were American Ballet Theatre's Mary Jo Ziesel, Director of Education, for Community Arts Outreach; Senator Hilary Clinton's Director of Constituent Affairs, Rose Rodriquez, Distinguished Casita Alumna for Public Service; and Con Edison's Eric Soto for Corporate Responsibility.

Later on in the week, Casita hosted a Health Awareness Day with the Department of Health van screening for lead poisoning.