NEW YORK — Business, education, and media industry magnates gathered last week in the West Village for the Soledad O’Brien + Brad Raymond Foundation’s annual gala.
“I think this year we’ve really hit our stride,” said CNN’s Starting Point anchor and enterprise journalist Soledad O’Brien, coming out of a flurry of flashbulbs on the red carpet. “The goal was to have 25 young women. And I remember when we had nine, and last year we were coming on 15 and it felt like it was a little bit of a distant goal. This year we have 25 young women we are supporting—and we have met our goal.”
Just as her work in New Orleans covering Hurricane Katrina served as the impetus for much of the foundation’s efforts, O’Brien’s reporting on Hurricane Sandy was one of the inspirations to host the benefit in Manhattan over the Hamptons. “It just felt we have a lot of supporters who are here in the city, and so it was time to stay in New York City and bring a little New Orleans to New York City,” she said of an evening that featured a Southern-style menu, jazz band, and Mardi Gras masks and beads.
The mentorship-cum-scholarship program for struggling girls has also evolved, as the organization partnered with Credit Suisse, Google, and Macy’s this year for a day-long, intensive self-esteem boosting PowHerful Summit that drew in about 150 young women. Sessions on empowerment, STEM fields, how to apply to college, how to get an internship, and how to network were offered during the event.
“We have been doing very specific mentoring techniques,” said O’Brien. “I think we’ve really proven that we are financially really solid. We’re picking women who are hugely successful and are moving sort of off our roll so that we can replace them with other young women who need support. Still, they stay in terms of mentoring the girls who are still there.”
Indeed that’s exactly what Sheba Turk, a former mentee and scholarship recipient who is now a field reporter for the CBS affiliate in New Orleans (WWLTV), has done.
