White Plains Library Foundation to Honor Three Community Partners at 6th Annual Gala on April 9: James Benerofe and The Shirley G. Benerofe Foundation; the Westchester Library System; and Westchester Community College

White Plains, NY—The White Plains Library Foundation will hold its Sixth Annual Treasures Gala: “Honoring Our Community Partners,” on Saturday, April 9, 2011, at 7 p.m. at the White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY.  The honorees are James Benerofe and The Shirley G. Benerofe Foundation; the Westchester Library System; and Westchester Community College. Judith Nevins, incoming Foundation Board President said, “We are thrilled to be honoring such illustrious partners whose contributions have benefited so many people in White Plains and Westchester County through their work to advance education, literacy, and library services.”
 
James Benerofe, a Board Member of the White Plains Library Foundation since its inception in 1995, is being honored for his philanthropic support, individually and through The Shirley G. Benerofe Foundation.  His personal and family generosity have enhanced the Library’s educational initiatives for children, teens, and the business community, including the Library’s Center for Business, Jobs, and Nonprofits.  Mr. Benerofe is the founder of Suburban Street News, Inc., as well as Oped.com and WhitePlains.com, two online news sources serving the greater White Plains community.  Mr. Benerofe studied at New York University before joining the family real estate business, in which he remains active with his brothers Andy and Mitch.  The Shirley G. Benerofe Foundation, named in honor of their mother, has been a long-time supporter of The White Plains Library Foundation and other organizations supporting education and youth services.
 
The Westchester Library System (WLS), a consortium of 38 member libraries in Westchester County, is being honored for its leadership in effecting partnerships that advance excellent library service for the County’s more than 940,000 residents.   As a center of innovation for the Westchester library community, WLS initiates valuable community projects, such as the New Americans Resource Center at the White Plains Public Library, done in concert with Westchester Community College.  In addition WLS facilitates resource sharing through its online catalog system, WESTLYNX, that unites Westchester’s 38 public libraries, a delivery system to move requested items where they are needed, and reference databases, downloadable books and audio books. WLS Executive Director Terry Kirchner, PhD, will accept the honor on the organization’s behalf.
 
Westchester Community College (WCC), the County’s largest institution of higher education, is being honored for its outstanding work to boost literacy and opportunity for new immigrants in the County. WCC partners with the White Plains Public Library to operate the New Americans Resource Center, which offers free basic English conversation and literacy classes taught by WCC faculty.  Responding to the needs of the County’s growing non-native born population, WCC has helped thousands of immigrants and non-English speakers, at its campuses in Valhalla and throughout the County, gain essential literacy skills and make strides towards citizenship, employment and assimilation.  These services expanded significantly through the Gateway Center, which opened on WCC’s main campus in September 2010.  Dr. Joseph N. Hankin, who assumed the Presidency of Westchester Community College in 1971, will accept the honor on the college’s behalf.
 
At the Gala, the Foundation will be proud to unveil a First Floor Master Plan developed by architects Vitetta and Bermello Ajamil & Partners, which includes preliminary renderings for a special teen space to be called “The Edge.”
 
The Gala program will include a musical interlude by the multi-talented David Tobey, violinist with the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra and lifelong Westchester resident, whose paintings and sculpture will be on exhibit in the Library’s Museum Gallery from March 30 through June 15.
 
Tickets are $125 per person, and sponsorships and journal advertisements are available.   The Gala will also include a silent auction.  For further information, please contact Foundation Executive Director Libby Hollahan at 914-422-1495.
 
The White Plains Library Foundation, a non-profit organization, was incorporated in 1995 to raise funds to help meet the long-range goals of the White Plains Public Library.   The Foundation’s work supports a wide range of programs and initiatives that promote literacy, educational achievement, career development, and lifelong learning.