One of the highlights of New York’s fall gala season united the city’s next generation of philanthropists with its longtime cultural and charitable leaders for a record-breaking evening benefiting one of New York’s oldest community organizations.
There are charity galas, and then there are the New York institutions that have become part of the city’s social fabric. Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education’s annual Fiesta! Gala firmly belongs in the latter category.
Returning to The Plaza Hotel, the sold-out celebration proved once again why Fiesta! remains one of the most joyful—and genuinely meaningful—events of the fall philanthropic season. The evening brought together younger philanthropists and emerging patrons alongside the city’s longtime arts supporters, collectors and philanthropic old guard, creating the kind of multigenerational room that is increasingly important to the future of charitable giving.
Chaired by Jackie Weld Drake, Jean Shafiroff and HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, the gala celebrated Casita Maria’s extraordinary legacy while honoring artist Hunt Slonem, philanthropist Sonia Gutt de Haime, and longtime Casita Maria Vice Chair Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, recipient of the Jackie Weld Drake Living Legend Award.
But what distinguishes Fiesta! is that the cause never feels secondary to the party. Casita Maria has spent more than nine decades working with children and families in the South Bronx, and the people behind the organization are deeply invested in making the money they raise translate into tangible opportunities.
That dedication was evident throughout the ballroom.
“Kids have come to us from underserved communities, with limited vocabulary and opportunities,” Weld Drake told guests, supported that evening by her sisters Estrellita Brodsky, Martha Bograd and Mercedes Levin. “Your support here helps us improve the quality of life for countless children, adults, and their families.”
Executive Director Felix Urrutia put the organization’s longevity into striking perspective.
“For 33,790 days, Casita Maria has been the heartbeat of East Harlem and South Bronx, a home for dreamers, doers, and storytellers,” he said. “Our mission is to enrich and help elevate the lives of those we serve so that they may have a fighting chance of realizing the American Dream.”
A Record-Breaking Night of Giving
This year’s Fiesta! became the highest-grossing gala in Casita Maria’s history, underscoring both the strength of its community and the continued appetite among New York philanthropists to support organizations where donations can make a direct difference.
One of the evening’s defining moments came when Rodriguez-Cubeñas announced a major commitment.
“I am proud to announce that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund just committed $100,000 to Casita Maria, a number I challenge us to match tonight,” he told the room.
Guests responded immediately.
A spirited paddle raise led by Paul Florez generated more than $200,000 on the spot, turning the celebratory mood in the ballroom into meaningful financial support for Casita Maria’s programs.
“For years, I have watched Casita Maria help the next generation of artists, teachers, doctors, and scientists from our own community,” Rodriguez-Cubeñas said. “They teach our kids to read, learn, but also to imagine, create, and see themselves in their own story.”
It is precisely that combination of education, creativity and opportunity that has kept Casita Maria relevant across generations.
Founded in 1934, the organization was the first charitable organization established to serve New York City’s Latino community. Today, its free programming encompasses academic support, arts education, paid teen apprenticeships, career readiness, and college and workforce preparation.
Perhaps equally important is the culture surrounding the organization. Casita Maria has retained the intimacy of a community institution even as its reach and prominence have grown. Board members, supporters and longtime patrons are not simply names attached to an annual benefit; there is a palpable commitment to stewardship and to making resources stretch as far as possible for the children and families they serve.
Celebrating Creativity—and the People Who Make It Possible
Artist Hunt Slonem, whose exuberant paintings of bunnies, butterflies and tropical birds have made his work instantly recognizable, was honored for both his artistic career and his longstanding relationship with Casita Maria.
Slonem’s work can be found in major museum collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Whitney, but his connection to the organization stretches back decades.
“For the last 35 years I have attended and supported this Gala and Casita Maria,” he said. “As a child, I wanted to be an artist due to the support I received in school. Casita Maria provides that same support, opening windows into the arts for many students in New York. Every child deserves a chance to dream, and together we can turn those dreams into reality.”
Sonia Gutt de Haime, a respected philanthropist whose work spans healthcare, education and the arts, was honored surrounded by her family.
Presenting the award, her son Daniel Haime Gutt spoke to a lifetime centered around giving and purpose: “You have taught us how to love, how to give, how to persevere, and how to live a life of purpose.”
The evening also recognized Rodriguez-Cubeñas, whose longstanding leadership reflects another defining quality of Casita Maria: the loyalty it inspires among those who become involved.
Where Generations Meet on the Dance Floor
For all the evening’s philanthropic significance, Fiesta! has never forgotten the second half of its name.
It was a quintessential New York night: a grand ballroom filled with familiar faces, colorful fashion and an unusually relaxed sense of celebration. Shafiroff arrived in a dramatic turquoise Malan Breton ballgown, while guests moved easily between tables, conversations and, eventually, the dance floor.
And that dance floor is part of what makes the evening special.
Rather than separating New York’s established philanthropic guard from its younger generation of supporters, Fiesta! brings them together. Younger patrons danced alongside supporters who have attended the benefit for decades, with Bob Hardwick Sound keeping the ballroom full and the speeches refreshingly brief.
The result was less a formal benefit than a multigenerational New York celebration united by a common cause.
That continuity is reflected in Fiesta!’s remarkable history. Over the years, Casita Maria has honored an extraordinary roster of artists, designers, performers and cultural figures, including Audrey Hepburn, Margot Fonteyn, Oscar de la Renta, Paloma Picasso, Gloria Estefan, Mary McFadden and Baz Luhrmann.
Among this year’s guests were Casita Maria board members George Corton, Alberto Mariaca, Patrick Moran, Gautam Patel, Darlyn Portes and Thomas Quick, along with Urrutia and Artistic Director Gail Heidel.
Also joining the celebration were Frederick Anderson, Jimmy Borynack, Halim Bulos, Gabriel Rivera Barraza, Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky, Sharon Bush, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Fe and Alessandro Fendi, Gloria and Carey Fieldcamp, Sissi Fleitas, Roberta Houghton, Kamie Lightburn, Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, Elizabeth Meigher, Juan Montoya, Lauren Day Roberts, Victor Roquette, Marc Rosen, Mary Snow, Adrienne and Gigi Vittadini, Saundra Whitney, Hal Witt, Adolfo Zaralegui, and many more.
Nearly a Century of Investing in New York’s Next Generation
At a time when philanthropy is increasingly scrutinized for measurable results, Casita Maria represents something both traditional and forward-looking: a deeply rooted community organization where arts and education are treated not as luxuries, but as pathways to opportunity.
Its programs give young people the academic support and practical preparation necessary for college and careers while also giving them permission to imagine lives beyond what they may see immediately around them.
That makes the annual Fiesta! more than another glamorous date on New York’s crowded social calendar.
The packed dance floor, record-breaking fundraising and mix of generations in the room demonstrated how philanthropy sustains itself: longtime supporters provide institutional memory and leadership while younger patrons bring new energy, networks and ideas.
And perhaps that is the secret to Casita Maria’s longevity. After more than nine decades, the organization continues to evolve without losing sight of whom it exists to serve.
At The Plaza, that mission translated into an evening that felt celebratory rather than obligatory—proof that doing good and having a genuinely good time remain one of New York philanthropy’s most enduring combinations.
For more information about Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education and its programs, visit Casita Maria.
