Past Events

Tikva Children's Home Gala Dinner Honoring Audrey Strumeier and Sandy and Lenny Piontak

Mandarin Oriental, New York 
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 
Cocktails, Silent Auction 7-8:30pm; Dinner, Entertainment and Dessert Reception followed

This spectacular event honored the life and legacy of Audrey Strumeier and the contributions to Tikva of Sandy and Lenny Piontak.

AUDREY STRUMEIER - posthumous recipient of the Tikva Visionary Award
Audrey Strumeier was an incredibly warm, loving, humble, caring and selfless individual. She was adored by her husband, daughters, parents, in-laws, nephew, nieces, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and, in short, everyone who came into contact with her. Her passing has left a deep void in the lives of all who knew her and especially within the Tikva family. Audrey's first visit to Tikva was with her husband, Jeff, in April 2004. Audrey was already a supporter of Tikva, but seeing Tikva's girls and boys in person was, as she would later recount to Jeff was "one of the most impactful experiences of my life. It was unlike anything I could have imagined. It shook me at my core." From dancing with the girls and barbecuing with the boys, to hugging and playing with the toddlers, Audrey was instantly part of the Tikva family. The children were drawn to her, and she to them. On the last day of the trip, Jeff tells over how "Audrey begged to go one more time to the Infants' and Toddlers' apartment before leaving for the airport. I nearly had to peel one little boy from Audrey's arms and we almost missed the plane".

Both Jeff and Audrey remarked that the experience in Odessa was especially powerful for them, as they were there together as parents of two wonderful girls, and the knowledge that an organization like Tikva existed to care for children whose parents could not meet their basic needs created a sense of comfort and peace. It came as no surprise, therefore, that Jeff and Audrey made Tikva an important part of their own family life. While Audrey was diagnosed with melanoma not long after that first visit and did not have a chance to return to Odessa, Tikva was included in family celebrations, like Shana's bat mitzvah, and in later days when Audrey was not feeling well, one or both of the girls sometimes stood in for her at Tikva functions. Through regular conversations with staff in New York and Odessa, through her family's generous giving, and through her participation in Tikva events whether in person or by frequent post-event updates, Audrey maintained a very close and personal connection to the children in Odessa.

A room in the new Tikva girls' home, Leah's House, now bears the Strumeier family name. Audrey wrote the wording for the plaque herself and was especially pleased to know that she and her family would always be remembered in such a loving, special place; as she said year-in-year-out, “Tikva Children’s Home, always in our hearts.” This year, Tikva remembered Audrey and her loving dedication to Tikva's boys and girls by presenting her, posthumously, with the Tikva Visionary Award. She is sorely missed.

SANDY & LENNY PIONTAK - recipients of the Tikva Leadership Award
In 2003, when Effy Zinkin of Marc Ecko Enterprises asked Sandy and Lenny Piontak to travel with him to Odessa to meet the girls and boys of Tikva Children's Home, they did not know what to expect. They were concerned about how they would communicate, how they would cope with local conditions, and how they would bear the emotional toll of a place they feared would be depressing, hopeless, and overwhelmingly sad. What they found, however, was something quite different. It was, in fact, the warm, genuine welcome extended by staff and children and the culture of hope that permeates Tikva that overwhelmed Sandy and Lenny.

Despite the tragic circumstances in which many of Tikva's children enter our care, they are both resilient and resourceful. Girls and boys at Tikva find countless ways to laugh, love, and even work toward a brighter future in Ukraine or abroad. Sandy and Lenny intuitively realized that more could and should be done to help Tikva's children reach their innate potential and develop into responsible and productive women and men who give back to their communities. Always ones to lead by example, Sandy and Lenny adopted a "give till it hurts" philosophy of philanthropy and inspired their fellow members of the Tikva Board, business partners, and many of their friends and family, to do the same. Consequently, Sandy and Lenny have had a profound impact on Tikva's programming and facilities by bringing more funding and attention to the needs of these very under-served girls and boys.

Tikva honored Sandy and Lenny Piontak for their vision and commitment to children who have been all but forgotten by the world around them. They are true role models for Tikva's girls and boys and for all who strive to create positive change in the world.

5th Annual Tikva Children's Home Young Professional Leadership Gala

Date: June 25, 2009
Location: Rock & Roll HAll of Fame Annex NYC
Time: 8-11 pm

On Thursday, June 25, 2009 Tikva's Young Professional Leadership hosted its fifth annual fundraising gala at the newest outpost of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Annex NYC, located at 76 Mercer. For the first time ever, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors in New York to Tikva and allowed our visitors to The Annex to connect with legendary artists and get lost in the music as they journeyed through galleries full of personal mementos of Rock legends like The Beatles, The Stones, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.

Hundreds joined us at this spectacular event that included an open bar, buffet, live entertainment featuring the songs of Rock Legends of The Annex, silent auction and raffles for spectacular prizes. (Event Photos)

An Evening with the Golden Boys

Date: February 18, 2009
Location: Jupiter Florida - Admiral's Cove Clubhouse
Time: Cocktails, Silent Auction 6-7pm; Dinner and Entertainment to follow

This spectacular event, sponsored by MidOcean Partners (among others), united three of America's entertainment Icons: Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell.  These teen idols and stars of the 50s and 60s spotlighted their greatest hits, including Venus, Dee Dee Dinah, Bobby Sox to Stockings, Volare, Forget Him, Wild One, Turn Me Loose, I'm a Man and MORE!

Platinum Table: $6,000 per table of 12 (Individual tickets $500.00)
Gold Table: $3,000 per table of 12 (Individual tickets $250.00)

All Expenses for this event were underwritten by a grant from The Leah & Ed Frankel Foundation.

To view the invitation for this event, please click here.



2008 Casino Event – All in for Tikva

This first of it's kind Tikva fundraiser was held at Cipriani 23rd Street (5th & 6th Avenues, New York, NY). 

Our high-energy, high-profile event offered the chance to win spectacular prizes all while raising money for the homeless, abandoned and abused children of Odessa, Ukraine.

Marc Ecko and hundreds of other industry VIPs joined an elite crowd of guests at Cipriani 23rd street for a charity gambling event unlike any they had experienced before. Blackjack, Roulette and Craps were just the beginning.

Guests enjoyed an open bar, exquisite dining and gambling all night, while trying their luck at winning any of over $150,000 in extraordinary prizes including a new car, a dream vacation package, and the latest in high-end electronics.  

 Gallery

Sixth Annual Tikva Drive For Life
June 26th 2008

This year we honored Jeff Cohen of Kenneth Cole and Tikva Young Leaders Adam Pfeffer and Oren Sendowski. We enjoyed a special guest performance by the NJ Nets City Dancers. We were graced with surprise appearances by Tony Sirico (Sopranos Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri), Top Chef, and Solo Restaurant's William Hung, former Jets player Greg Buttle and some very special guests from America's Next Top Model. 

We dined on Burger's Bar, Dougie's, Eden Wok, Noah's Ark, Tea for Two, Gemstone, Pasta Factory and more.

In all, your generosity raised over a quarter million dollars for our children in Odessa, Ukraine.

For the latest pics click here

Tikva Young Professional's Winter Wonderland 2008

 Saturday, January 20th

Drive For Life 2007 Tikva Young Leadership Presents OverDrive '07 Tikva CBS News [Video] ROCKRIMMON for a day of golf, auction to benefit: May 7th 2007 Mission to Odessa: April 25th 2007 3rd Annual Mitzvah Walk of Hope Sunday: April 22, 2007 2nd Annual Young Leadership Retreat: March 14-18, 2007 Tikva Young Leadership Presents OverDrive '07: January 20th 07 Tikva at Zorya Fine Art Come out to Support Dmitriy Salita: September 20th 2006 Mission to Odessa: September 13-17, 2006 Fourth Annual Tikva Drive for Life: August 9, 2006 Vitaquest Golf Event 2006: June 19th 2006 The Second Annual Mitzvah Walk of Hope: March 14, 2006 Inaugural Young Leadership Retreat & Fundraising: March 22-26, 2006 Pyromania '05: Tikva House Afire Fundraising: December 1, 2005 Tikva Children's Home Invites You to Odessa: September 21, 2005 Once Around the Sun - off-Broadway show: September 15 2005 2005 Drive for Life: August 10, 2005 Tikva and Maccabia USA Lead Joint Trip to Budapest: July 2-13, 2005 A Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament: May 19, 2005 May 2005 Mission to Odessa Tikva's First Young Professional Leadership Event: March 31, 2005