NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) April 14, 2016
Jumpstart, a national early education organization, will host its 11th annual Scribbles to Novels gala tonight in New York City, where actress Bridget Moynahan and fashion photographer Nigel Barker will be among the personalities entertaining more than 500 expected guests at Pier Sixty, Manhattan’s largest waterfront venue. A number of celebrated authors, including Meg Wolitzer, will also appear at the event.
Special guest Bridget Moynahan, star of the CBS drama Blue Bloods, and authors Corban Addison (The Tears of Dark Water) and Laila Ibrahim (Yellow Crocus), will deliver remarks during an evening program that also includes a cocktail hour in which guests will mingle with celebrities and authors, a silent auction, and a gourmet three-course dinner. Famed photographer, author, and former America’s Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker will serve as celebrity auctioneer. During the cocktail hour, attendees will enjoy live music by jazz drummer Chuck McPherson, bid on exclusive trips and packages in the auction, and walk away with signed copies of new and special-edition releases from this year’s acclaimed authors. The event is being catered by the renowned Abigail Kirsch.
In addition to Meg Wolitzer, author of The Interestings, Belzhar, and The Wife, this year’s Scribbles to Novels author lineup includes New Yorker cartoonist and graphic novelist Marisa Acocella Marchetto; essayist Judy Batalion, author of White Walls: A Memoir About Motherhood, Daughterhood, and the Mess in Between; Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, best-selling author of Bittersweet and the May 2016 release June; Dr. Eric Dinerstein, former Chief Scientist at the World Wildlife Fund and author of What Elephants Know; John C. Ford, Edgar Award-nominated young adult mystery author; Pamela Newkirk, author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, winner of the NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary work; Domenica Ruta, author of With or Without You; and Dr. Michael Sampson, the New York Times bestselling author of 27 books for children.
“Jumpstart recruits and trains more than 1,000 volunteers to work with nearly 3,000 preschool children throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, helping them develop the skills needed to succeed in school,” said Kerri Osborne, Regional Vice President of Jumpstart. “We are grateful to Bridget Moynahan, Nigel Barker, and our featured authors and supporters for dedicating their time and efforts towards Jumpstart’s vision—ensuring that every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed.”
Last year’s Scribbles to Novels event in New York City raised more than $1.2 million for tri-state programs. Jumpstart will also hold Scribbles to Novels fundraising galas this spring in San Francisco (April 28, 2016) and Boston (May 12, 2016).
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ABOUT JUMPSTART
Jumpstart provides language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from under-resourced communities and promotes quality early learning for all. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained 40,000 college students and community volunteers to transform the lives of 87,000 preschool children nationwide. Learn more at jstart.org.
