October 6, 2022, 6-10pm

Marina Del Rey – 1 Marina Dr. Bronx, NY 10465

Dear Friends and Community Partners:

Thank you for joining us on October 6 for our Annual Gala. Our theme, Nurturing Communities – Equitable and Inclusive Healthcare for All, was the ultimate expression of our mission. Our event was an opportunity to highlight our 48-year history as well as demonstrate how we continue to respond to the pandemic and other challenges. This year we were excited to honor Larry Scott Blackmon, who leads the Public Affairs Division of FreshDirect and is the CEO of the Blackmon Organization. We also had the privilege of awarding the VIP Community Builder Award to Tomas Ramos, Founder and President of the Oyate Group.

Whatever the healthcare need, whether in the Bronx or now across New York City, VIP has responded. Last year alone we served 6,772 unique patients and tenants in our Health Services, Mental Wellness, Addiction Services, and Housing and Shelter programs, while we provided over 7,500 vaccines to people throughout the community. Through wave after wave of COVID-19, we did not reduce our services or cut our programs.

Our Gala this year was an opportunity to highlight these and many other VIP accomplishments and programs:

• Holding job trainings and internships for 247 people in 2021
• Opened shelters in Queens and Brooklyn; currently VIP has a total of 422 shelter beds in three boroughs, and we will soon open an additional shelter in Harlem that will house 135 individuals with a mental health diagnosis and who identify as male.
• Achieving certifications and recognition awards from the American Heart Association, National Committee for Quality Assurance, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and Health Resources and Services Administration.
• Opening a dental clinic in the Bronx later this year.

Your support of our Annual Gala helped to ensure VIP’s continued ability to offer desperately needed services to under-resourced communities in the Bronx and across the city, regardless of people’s ability to pay. Please consider serving as a sponsor, purchasing an ad, buying tickets, or making a financial contribution in support of our programs and the people we serve.

To participate, CLICK HERE

Sincerely,