Copyright © Sara Curry Preschool at Little Missionary’s Day Nursery 2010

About the Award

The Sara Curry Award seeks to honor members of the community who dedicate their time and energy to helping others.  These individuals are examples to us of lives well lived.  Past honorees have served in organizations to help suffering children, or have spoken out on behalf of the oppressed.  Yet others have contributed to society by using their talents to enrich and enlighten the world.  

In seeking to honor others, we also strive to supplement the work of our volunteer Board and provide needed funds for tuition assistance to parents, and also to make necessary upgrades to our 150-year-old building.  In addition, we are looking to expand our school and create new classrooms in our building.  We want to preserve the legacy of Sara Curry and keep our Nursery a haven for children and families for the next 100 years.

On Thursday, May 6, 2010, Little Missionary's Day Nursery at Sara Curry Preschool held our Sixth Annual Sara Curry Awards at the lovely Orensanz Foundation on the Lower East Side.  The event was a huge success and the 400 attendees had a phenomenal time. 

The evening was both an important fundraiser and a wonderful opportunity for parents and community members to network, relax, and learn about the fantastic merchants and businesses who support the ongoing work of our school. 

The two-story Orensanz building was gorgeously decorated by Perriwater Ltd. Florists.  Noz Catering supplied a sumptuous buffet on one side of the main floor, while a mind-boggling array of Silent Auction items stretched from the open bar down the length of the other side. Upstairs in the beautiful balcony were the martini bar, courtesy of Boyd & Blair Vodka; a popular Photo Booth run by artist Larry Bercow; and a fun new destination--the Regal Cinemas Spin-the-Wheel.  There, attendees got the chance to win fun prizes courtesy of Regal Cinemas, as well as find out about soon-to-open family films, like "Shrek 3" and "The Karate Kid," opening June 11.  Parents were excited to learn about the upcoming Stars of Hope Carnival at Regal Union Square Theatre  (850 Broadway and 13th Street) to raise money for children's charities.

Entertaining

Our exciting new awards, designed by Scott Johnson, were presented to authors Michael Rosen and William Pollack and Grammy Award-winning musician Dan Zanes.  A surprise award was given to ex-"Little Mish" parent and past Fundraising Chair, Marjike Briggs for her years of dedication.  Her tearful thanks were heartwarming and underscored the devotion that parents past and present have for the school.  After the ceremony, the star-studded "East Village Entertainment Extravaganza" brought the house to its feet, with brilliant musical performances by the legendary Lesley Gore, Kate Pierson (of the B-52s), Tracy Bonham, Susan Moser, and the band BETTY and hilarious comedy from television regulars Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, Hannibal Buress, and Todd Barry.  Spinning songs to keep the night hopping was DJ Inbetween.

 

Palate Pleasing

Since its founding in 1896 by Sara Curry, Little Missionary's Day Nursery has long appreciated close working ties with the downtown New York City community.  We thank all of our sponsors this year, old and new, and the caring companies who provided goods and services for the event, the raffle and our wildly successful auctions.

We send our most sincere thanks to the generous restaurants who supplied the delicious appetizers: La Palapa, Paprika Restaurant, In Vino Winebar, Casimir Restaurant, Farmcart, Russ & Daughters, Gigi's; scrumptious desserts: Butter Lane, Black Hound, Jacques Torres Chocolate, Something Sweet, and Venieros; and libations: Wine Therapy, Tinto Fino, Donnybrook, and Anheuser- Busch.

The guests were delighted to feast from the tempting spread, taking all offered cards and information about each restaurant, for future visits.

 

Prize-packed

Three lucky winners walked away with the popular and jaw-dropping raffle packages, sparkling with prizes from our terrific supporters at 16 Handles Frozen Yogurt, Babeland toys for grown ups, Chelsea Piers Bowling 300 New York, Children's Museum of the Arts on Lafayette, Clinton Street Baking Company, Cocoa Bar on Clinton, Cremebebè children's clothes, Dinosaur Hill toy store, Economy Candy, Gracefully Market Fruit Baskets, Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel in the Catskills, Make Up Artist Kian Stave, hair by Salon KeHaas, September Wines, romantic restaurant The Stanton Social, Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcakes & treats, Two Boots Pizza, and THE ESSEX MARKET PICNIC PRIZE--including fine Roni-Sue's Chocolates, fresh breads from Pain D'avignon, Porto Rico Coffee, Saxleby Cheesemongers, and TraLaLa  smoothies & muffins from their popular Juice Bar.

 

Every one of these establishments is run by great people who believe in community and the kind of education Little Missionary's Day Nursery provides.  It is a pleasure to grow in such good company and a great joy to give our grateful support back to them.

 

Successful

We Surpassed Our Goal!

Congratulations to school Director, Eileen Johnson; to the hard-working Executive Fundraising Committee--Judy Bodor, Barbara Sibley, Tricia Kirkland, Lisa Polen--and Event Host Alyson Palmer; and to all the fun parents and committed volunteers for smashing our dream goal of $50,000!  Special thanks to friend of LMDN Mary Spink who donates generously every year.

The funds will be used for tuition aid and for school improvements, including stocking the new library with stimulating, age-appropriate books. 

Thank you so very much.  We look forward to a successful partnership with you next year to pass our 2011 goal of $100,000!

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