Art Day Celebration believes that youth are the number one resource for shaping the future of Haiti and aims to empower orphaned children to find and express their individual voices through the medium of art.

Members of the host committee include winner of America’s Next Top Model “Cycle Six” Dani Evans and award-winning photographer Marc Baptiste. This occasion promises to be an exciting evening for a great cause.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Wed., June 20, 6-11p.m., 1Oak, 453 West 17th Street

Photo: Marisa McGrody

Last Saturday, June 9, a bevy of young adults, clad in white, flocked to 121 Fulton Street in Manhattan to honor Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that aims to create quality education for all children through the implementation of new schools and learning programs, increasing access to education and fostering global, sustainable communities.

Upon arrival at the event, patrons had their pictures taken on the step-and-repeat at the door, before entering a dimly lit room where servers hovered about passing hors d’œuvre. The main attraction, predictably, was the open bar, which dolled out vodka lemonade libations and rosé. A live DJ set kept things upbeat on the dance floor with mash-ups of house and top-40 tunes. The raucous merriment was only briefly paused for a quick thank-you from the event organizers, who expressed gratitude for everyone’s generous contributions.

Image courtesy of Children’s Rights

The youth welfare advocacy and watchdog non-profit Children’s Rights has announced its first annual Spring Young Leaders Event, to take place Thursday June 7 at 49 Grove. Founded by civil and adolescent rights activist Marcia Robinson Lowry, Children’s Rights started as a venture of the New York Civil Liberties Union and then the American Civil Liberties Union, before establishing itself as a self-sufficient nonprofit in 1995. Children’s Rights fights legal suits on behalf of child welfare and foster care initiatives and publishes national policy reports to generate awareness on the injustices many children suffer in the U.S.

This May, for National Foster Care Month, the organization launched Trapped?, an interactive Facebook interface, which charts the saga of “two fictitious brothers who were removed from an abusive home and separated when they were young. Users attempt to navigate tough life choices for one of the brothers, only to be confronted with daunting statistics. With each click, users learn about the grim state of U.S. foster care.”

Quite the social pack has already formed a host committee to support the spring event that will benefit Children’s Rights various efforts. The evening will commence at 7.30p.m. with a VIP cocktail and continue into the night with dancing and a special silent auction.

Tables for the benefit are $500 and include an open bar, while individual tickets start at $50. For more information email Walter Illy.