Safe Harbors of the Hudson Annual Cornerstone of the Community Award Recipient, the Honorable Maurice D. Hinchey. pictured left to right: Tricia Haggerty Wenz, Executive Director of Safe Harbors, Maurice D. Hinchey, Congressman from New York's 22nd District, Sue Sullivan from St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, and former City of Newburgh Mayor, Nicholas Valentine.

View photos from the evening on our Flickr page, by clicking here

On June 9, Safe Harbors of the Hudson hosted the 6th Annual Gala celebrating transforming lives and building communities through housing and the arts. This year was particularly special as we honored a good friend to Safe Harbors and the Ritz Theater as well as all of us who live and work in the Hudson Valley. Congressman Hinchey has worked tirelessly for all of us for the past 32 years and it is our pleasure to honor him this year. We are so grateful for his advocacy and support and we applaud him for maintaining the courage of his convictions even in the most difficult of times.

The past year has been one of growth for Safe Harbors, as we have become both stronger and bigger. We are pleased to be a founding member of the Greater Newburgh Partnership, joining forces with many formidable partners in the community with the mission of revitalizing and energizing Newburgh in every way. We are committed to creating positive change in the City of Newburgh and have already seen many encouraging results from our efforts.

Safe Harbors is so pleased to be part of the Newburgh Mural Project and to have been the site of the inaugural mural in the Project’s Life in Colors series. Chilean artist Dasic Fernandez has created Transcendence on our Ritz wall, a beacon which welcomes all who enter the City.

The arts have always played a critical role in our mission and serves as one of our many important contributions to the City of Newburgh. Our award winning Ann Street Gallery, with five shows and over 1800 visitors in the past year has played a significant role in the resurgence of Broadway, presenting compelling art exhibitions and re-establishing the City of Newburgh as a cultural destination.

In collaboration with our sister organization, the Ritz Theater-Newburgh, Inc, we have showcased amazing talent to sold out crowds in our intimate lobby space. The consistency of sold out performances illustrates the need for an 825 seat theater in our community. This past year we have completed important preliminary work on The Ritz to include renovation of the Box Office. The coming year will prove critical, as we plan to kick off our capital campaign and raise the remaining funds needed to completely restore the historic Ritz Theater.

Throughout the year we host many community geared events such as a Newburgh Community Cleanup, Bells on Broadway Holiday Festival, Off Broadway 5K Run and Ann Street Market and Family Fun Day. These events create opportunities to bring our community together and bring hundreds of people to our downtown each year.

Above all the work we do, the most critical is with our tenants of The Cornerstone Residence. Along with our partners Independent Living, we are proud to create a beautiful home for 128 adults while providing them every opportunity and resource to rebuild their lives, proving that all citizens no matter what their background, can be part of positive change in our community

As we celebrate our past year we also look forward to our future, one that will include new projects in our community, new opportunities to set our bar higher, to grow and strengthen Safe Harbors as we help to grow and strengthen the City of Newburgh. Thank you all so much, we cannot do it without your support.

Sincerely,
Tricia Haggerty Wenz
Founder and Executive Director

A Special Thank You to Our 6th Annual Gala Sponsors:

Mountco Construction
Drake, Loeb, Heller, Kennedy Gogerty, Gaba and Rodd PLLC
Catholic Charities
Independent Living, Inc.
Koch Group
Thomas McGowan
St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital
TD Banknorth