Osborne’s 2025 Annual Benefit Celebrates Hope, Leadership, and Shared Humanity

Osborne Association hosted its 2025 Annual Benefit on October 21. Hosted by Shimon Prokupecz, Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent for CNN, this year’s event brought together our partners, donors, and sponsors to celebrate progress and renew our shared commitment to building communities of opportunity and care.

This year, we were proud to honor two leaders whose work exemplifies those same values and helps build a more just and equitable New York.

Rick Gropper, Founding Principal of Camber Property Group LLC, received our Partner in Innovation Award. Camber is Osborne’s partner in redeveloping Liberty Landing, a transformative project converting the former Bayview Correctional Facility into permanent affordable housing. The residence will provide 124 apartments, including 74 units of supportive housing for older New Yorkers returning from incarceration.

Gropper spoke about what it means to lead with compassion and awareness, recognizing when someone needs support and stepping in to offer it. “You need those people in the world that would provide help to a stranger,” he said. “And Osborne Association does that work. Without Osborne, where would people be?”
 

Maria Torres-Springer, Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation and Former First Deputy Mayor, received our Community Impact Award.

Reflecting on her decades of work in government and philanthropy, Torres-Springer said, “The true measure of our city’s strength is how well we extend dignity and possibility to those who have been denied both … When I think about Osborne’s work, what I see is the truest expression of what opportunity looks like in real life and in practice. You don’t just talk about inclusion and second chances, you build them brick by brick, relationship by relationship.”

In his remarks, President and CEO Jon Monsalve urged the crowd to continue shaping a more compassionate city: “In the present moment, acting on our values is more important than ever. Now is the time to exercise the kind of moral courage that transcends political party or class or race or any other label designed to define and divide us. Now is the time to decide what kind of city and state we want to be. A New York that writes people off, or one that recognizes our shared humanity.”

Danielle Mack-Valentin described the transformative support she found through Osborne’s Women with a Plan program while navigating her husband’s incarceration. “I connected with women who truly understood me. No judgment, just support. I built meaningful friendships with these women who inspire and uplift each other. That community has meant everything.”

And through videos, we highlighted Osborne’s support for people across the continuum of justice involvement — at court, inside and during reentry — as Joshua, Ayman, Kimon and Malkia generously shared their stories.

The event raised over $860,000 – and counting – for Osborne’s mission. Together, we will support thousands of New Yorkers as they rebuild their lives and strengthen their communities. 

If you missed the event and would like to support, visit our donation page to give today.

CHAMPIONS
Anonymous 
Andy and Andrea Potash and The Distinguished Social Ventures Fund


BEACONS
Beachwold Residential 
Rachael Bedard, MD, & Gideon Z. Friedman


ILLUMINATORS
Chris Hayes and Kate Shaw 
Treeline Companies


LANTERNS
Alliant Insurance Services 
Ana M. Bermúdez
BlankRome
Camber Property Group
The Fein/Remnick/Litman Family 
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Grenadier Realty Management LLC
Adam Hellegers & Stefanie Lieberman
Merchants Capital 
K&R Moelis Family Foundation 
NFP Corporate Services
Alison Novak & Aaron Yowell
Trinity Church NYC
Urban Atelier Group
Walker & Dunlop
Wells Fargo

TORCHBEARERS
Anonymous 
The Arker Companies
BellRow Title Agency
BFC Partners
Will Blodgett, Tredway
BRP Companies
Citi Community Capital
Clifton Budd & DeMaria, LLP
Douglaston Development
Swift S.O. Edgar 
Fulton Realty Capital, LLC
Intricate Bay
L+M Development Partners
MDG Design & Construction & Wavecrest Management
Nixon Peabody LLP
Richman Housing Resources
Sidley Austin LLP
Page Travelstead & Josh Keay 
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Maggie & Aaron Wolk

SUPPORTERS
1811 Consulting
Benchmark Title Agency, LLC
Cannon Heyman & Weiss, LLP
Center for Justice Innovation
The Community Preservation Corporation
ConEdison 
Dattner Architects 
Federated National Land
David Goldberg
Patricia Heller
Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP
The Hudson Companies
Hudson Housing Capital
Jackson Lewis PC
Joy Construction Corp.
Bryan Kelly
Mega Contracting Group
Cindi and Bob Olsman
Prestige Title
Salsa Caterers and Special Events 
SBV RE Investments LLC
Sedreddine & Whoriskey, LLP
VHB

CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Callaghan
Mo Coffey
Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Avery Dement, Strada Ventures LLC
Scott Dweck
Elizabeth Gaynes
Anat Gerstein Inc.
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Marc Jahr, Forsyth Street Advisors
Lisa Lippman and Ben Finkelstein
Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP
Monadnock Development and Kirk Goodrich
Ponce Bank
Gerry Romski
Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.
Michael Wax