Hope For Youth

Cornucopia of Hope Gala

Gala Event Will Celebrate 42 Years Serving the Children, Youth and Families of Long Island

Amityville, New York – September 20, 2011 – Hope For Youth (HFY), a leading provider of residential programs, foster care, preventive and out-patient services for children, youth and families on Long Island, will host its Bi-Annual Cornucopia of Hope Gala on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Garden City Hotel in Garden City, New York. The evening will feature cocktail hour, passed hors d’oeuvres, dinner and dessert, wine and chocolate flights, a dessert competition, prizes and moving, personal stories told by Hope For Youth alumni.

Hope For Youth will honor entrepreneur, inspirational athlete and motivational speaker, Rohan Murphy, with the first ever “Elizabeth Bass Golding – Personal Achievement Award”. Rohan, who lost his legs in childhood, was a successful collegiate wrestler at Penn State and is an accomplished power lifter who is currently training for the 2012 Paralympic Games.

The Master of Ceremony will be Long Island chef extraordinaire, author and wine expert, Tom Schaudel. Tom is the executive chef and owner of several successful Long Island restaurants and the host of the radio show “Playing with Fire” on 1100 WHLI.

Several alumni of Hope For Youth, including Amos Zereoué, famed NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, will be attending the event to tell their personal stories of success and how Hope For Youth changed their lives.

The Hope For Youth Gala will include a special presentation of chocolate and wine pairing by chocolate sommelier Roxanne Browning, owner and operator of Exotic Chocolate Tastings in Northport, Long Island. Stew Leonard’s of Farmingdale will be donating their exclusive, special reserve, private label vintages for the tasting.

A live dessert competition will be held featuring Chef Marney White of Marneycakes, Chef Alison Sleck of Dolce Delights and Donna Dexter of Wicked Chocolate. Chef Gerard Molloy and Ceido from Ice Sculpture Designs will judge the contest. Mehdi Chellaoui of Mehdi Truffles will also demonstrate special chocolate tempering techniques.

All net proceeds from the Cornucopia of Hope Gala will support the programs at Hope For Youth.  “We anticipate a strong turnout for this year’s Gala,” said Susan Lane, Director of Development.  “The event marks Hope For Youth’s 42nd year of providing support and services to children, youth and families across Long Island. This year’s Gala is a special event honoring a wonderful individual in Rohan Murphy and featuring the best and brightest food, wine and dessert stars on Long Island. We are especially excited for our alumni, including Amos Zereoué, to share their personal and moving success stories with our supporters.”

Individual tickets are $150 and sponsorships range from $200 to $3,000.  To become a sponsor or attend the event, contact Susan Lane, Director of Development at Hope For Youth: (631) 782-6540, slane@hfyny.org.