Last fall, teen philanthropist Isaac J. Kassin was awarded our James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation's coveted Luce Leader 2012 Award for his work in philanthropy, including his signature fund within our foundation. Accepting the award at a gala at the law firm of Skadden Arps, 17-year old Isaac...

The National Meningitis Association gala (NMA) Give Kids a Shot, held recently at the New York Athletic Club, attracted people from all over the nation and from all walks of life - just as meningitis affects people from all walks of life. This fifth annual event was once...

New York City has an annual event that educates the public on mental health that I believe is the finest in America. This symposium - and luncheon - is hosted by Fountain House each spring at The Pierre. This year, the event's tenth, the topic was Mental Illness...

It is an understatement to call homelessness a growing problem. More accurately, it's a tragedy. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that an average of more than 50,000 people slept in New York City homeless shelters for the first time in January (a record), with families becoming the...

The LA-based pianist, conductor, and composer André Previn called Susan Wadsworth, who founded Young Concert Artists (YCA) in 1961, last week to tell her how much he loved soprano Jeanine de Bique's singing of his cycle, Honey and Rue. When I received...

I have traveled extensively over the years searching for worthwhile initiatives and like-minded individuals dedicated to the promotion of positive social change. I have been exposed to a number of organizations promising great things (some have, others haven't), yet my conviction to find noteworthy causes and people of similar interests...

Warm weather is upon us at last, and with it comes the Third Annual Roosevelt Island Cherry Blossom Festival. Located under the 59th Street Bridge, across from the United Nations, Roosevelt Island has 600 incredible cherry trees. With the opening of FDR Four Freedom Park, a $50 million improvement to...

I've been to perhaps too many art shows and art fairs and countless fundraisers this winter, but Mad About Art, Fountain Gallery's Annual Art Auction and Benefit held at Skylight West recently was a singular happening that turned me on and reminded me about the importance of both...

I met Christopher Rim, the founder and president of an anti-bullying awareness organization called It Ends Today, about a year before Lady Gaga did. Enormously impressed that a high school student could be so savvy about organizing and branding -- components necessary to create change no matter how...

Although Rear Admiral Stephen Bleecker Luce founded the Naval War Academy in Newport, R.I. and my father served under General Patton, I have little connection to the military. Looking to improve my own insights, I attended my first Military Ball several years ago in the Grand...

The leader of India's charter school movement, Akanksha Foundation, participated in the recent Clinton Global Initiative Conference for the second year in a row. Meeting after meeting this year I have heard 'Haiti! Africa! India!' Buzz about India often revolves around the Akanksha Foundation.

Nobel-prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of the microfinance pioneer Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, addressed our breakfast at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) kick-off. Introduced by Hikmet Ersek, the C.E.O. of Western Union - the corporation that hosted this event - Muhammad was as...

I met an incredible individual, Liz Doles, who also happens to be a talented artist last week at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the U.N. We bonded immediately. Having been off-and-on in Sri Lanka (and Indonesia) for a number of years working with orphans following the...

When I was a freshman in college I moved into the international dorm and was faced with people from around the world who spoke English better than I. Many of them frequently used vocabulary twice the size of my own. As I began the novel The Two Krishnas,...

In a sea of steaks, burritos and grab-and-go food in busy Midtown East, there is a beacon of the Slow Food movement, serving healthful food in an elegant, inviting environment. For nearly two years, Sprig Restaurant has served consistently superb New American cuisine that celebrates artisanal goods, seasonal...

More than 300 of New York's crème de la crème from the business, finance, and entertainment communities converged at the second annual The Light of India Awards, an initiative created by Remit2India and presented by The Amrapali Group. I was excited to attend the first at the Waldorf...

Twenty years ago, a man begged Henry Buhl for $20 on the streets of New York. Henry recognized the man as a former street sweeper who had worked near his office. Henry discovered the man had been fired for sleeping on the job and decided to look into the situation....

Founded in 1957 by Dr. Jack M. Gootzeit, the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics (IAHD) -- serving the Developmental Disabled in The Bronx and Westchester Counties -- has held an annual fundraising gala event every year, since 1969. Recently they hosted their 45th Annual Awards Dinner Dance at...

In the opulent setting of the Grand Ball Room of the Essex House, several hundred glitterati gathered to toast the leadership of David Bender and Barbara Meister Bender -- and bask in the musical brilliance of 10 years of operatic talent.  One decade old, the non-profit organization they founded,

Few figures in Brooklyn's business, political and philanthropic communities can bring a diverse group of professionals together for a worthy cause, year after year. DeCosta Headley Sr. is one of those rare, powerful individuals who never cease to amaze me.