2008 Spring Benefit Auction

Thursday, May 1, 2008 — The Gillen Brewer School and our supporters will come together for the evening to celebrate a truly momentous occasion: 15 years of making a difference, one child at a time.

Click Here For The Spring Auction 2008 Invitation!

To commemorate this outstanding achievement, our 15th Anniversary Spring Benefit Auction will be held at the beautiful Phillips de Pury & Company Auction House, located in the Meatpacking District at 450 W. 15th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.  This gorgeous space is the perfect location to bring everyone in our community together for an evening of wonderful entertainment, food, drinks and bidding, to raise money for our very special school.  Please join us for what is sure to be a wonderful event. 

If you are interested in attending, please contact Rachel Towers in the Development Office at 212-831-3667, Ext. 207 to request an invitation. 

You can help!  Every year we count on the generosity of our community through their financial and in-kind support.  If you have an auction item, monetary contribution or service you would like to give towards this very special evening, please contact Rachel Towers in the Development office or download the necessary forms by clicking on the links provided below.  You may also purchase an ad page in our auction program for your business or a personal journal entry for your child, family or to send a special message to that special someone.    

Thank you for your support and we hope we can count on seeing you there!

Donation Forms

Auction Donation Form

Ad for Auction Journal (Families)

Ad for Auction Journal (Businesses)

Ladies Luncheon Fundraiser

October 18, 2007 —On October 18, 2007, The Gillen Brewer School held its second annual Fall Ladies Luncheon, “Raising Resilient Children,” at The Colony Club.  Over 80 people turned out to hear Dr. Elena Lister, a NYC psychiatrist who is renowned for her work with children on issues of grief and loss. 

In her talk, Dr.Lister emphasized that children possess a resiliency not found in adults.  Able to recover from shock, loss, and trauma far faster than a grown person, many children are not only able to “bounce back,” but live on in a far more stress-free manner than their adult counterparts when confronted with trauma — from learning and social disorders to death and loss.  She also addressed questions posed by the audience:

• “When is the appropriate age to inform my child of his or her challenges?”
• “How do I introduce controversial social and political issues to my child?”
• “How do I educate my child about his/her sibling’s learning and social disorder?”

Gillen Brewer School strongly believes that an involved and well-informed family is invaluable to each child’s overall education.  As parents and mentors, we seek a network of resources and knowledge that help us communicate and involve ourselves with our children for a multitude of issues from general healthy living to dealing with grief, stress and loss.  This year’s luncheon was informative and enlightening. 

A special thanks to Laura Schacht Bilicic, Kathyrn George Tyree and Leslie Johnson for co-hosting the event, Dr. Elena Lister for a thought-provoking discussion and Allison Vella for eloquently sharing her personal experience.    Thanks also to those who attended the luncheon and those who supported the event through their generous contributions. 

Pet Partner Project

Our neighbors at the ASPCA and the Delta Society, teamed up with us this year for a Pet Partner Project. Each weeka dog and its owner come to visit classrooms at Gillen Brewer. During these visits, the students learn to ask the owner, "Can I pet your dog?" and to also gain permission from the dog by letting it smell their hand. Our pet partners, Lily, Mr. G, and Penny, each come with their own favorite things to do: get brushed, fed, walked (inside and on our roof-deck), and/or given a tour of the classroom. Each week the children practice their communication skills with the pets and their owners in order to develop meaningful relationships, practice appropriate interactions, and learn the dynamics of non-verbal communication. This project has raised the children's awareness of body language helping them to further strengthen their communication skills.

The students were so excited each week to have Lily, Mr. G and Penny visit that they began generating ideas for things they could do and make for their pet partners. The Tadpoles and Belugas baked home-made doggie treats which allowed the children to do something special for their pet and reinforced the math skills associated with baking. The Sprouts and Tadpoles made doggie coats for their pet partner with pictures and words from each student. The students personalized the coats and planned the design. About a week later the classrooms received photos of each dog modeling their new attire.

In an effort to connect with and to show the ASPCA our appreciation, the Sprouts spearheaded a blanket-towel drive. The Sprouts went one step further and hand delivered the donated blankets and towels to the staff at the ASPCA which truly connected each child to the experience. Thank you to all who contributed your used towels and blankets to the project. The Pet Partner Project has been a huge success and we are so grateful for our partnership!

To see all of our big events from previous school years, please click below to open our full year "What's Brewing" yearly School Newsletter

What's Brewing 2005-2006

What's Brewing 2006-2007