Activities & Events

October 25, 2008 - The Fourth Halloween Charity Ball @ the People's Palace

March 26, 2007 - The Year of Magical Thinking: Vanessa Redgrave performs at the Booth Theatre in NY City  in a benefit for the Alex fund.

October 27, 2007 - The 3rd Halloween Charity Ball @ the People's Palace The ball continues to raise awareness and galvanize action by gathering dynamic citizens for an evening of both fun and inspiration. This year's ball raised  nearly €430,00 for Ovidiu Rom, 94% of which could go directly to programs, thanks to generous donations.

October 28, 2006 -  The 2nd Halloween Charity Ball @ the People's Palace

May 29, 2006 - 5th Annual Awards Ceremony  Asociatia Ovidiu Rom took center stage at Bucharest’s National Theatre, Sala Liviu Rebreanu, with a music, dance and cheer-filled show to recognize the many people who have contributed to the success and expansion of the Gata, Dispus si Capabil programs over the last five years. Awards were presented to women who have gotten jobs through GDC and to children who have advanced through two grades of school in one year. Citations of appreciation were be given to individuals who have made special contributions to Ovidiu Rom’s success.

April 6, 2006 - Living Room in Africa    80 supporters of The Alex Fund enjoyed an evening at The Beckett Theater, New York City viewing this new, gripping play by Bathsheba Doran. Drinks after the show at Zanzibar provided an opportunity to meet the cast and discuss the troubling issues raised by the play, when an attempt to provide one-shot charity backfires.

October 29, 2005 - Halloween Charity Ball @ the People's Palace - This unprecedented event to raise funds for Gata, Dispus si Capabil  took place in the enormous “Unirii Hall” of the world’s second largest building, bringing together some 500 prominent Romanian and expat professionals, government officials, and foreign investors for an evening celebrating the progress made by Bucharest and its people in the last 15 years. It received wide publicity on television and in the press and opened the eyes of thousands of people to our mission.

June 2005  - 70 children living in Sector 5, Bucharest, became the first “Nobel Kids” as they started an interactive IT & English program funded by the Nobel Limited Company. 

May 27, 2005 - 30 women from Bucharest and Bacau Mothers Programs were acknowledged for obtaining and keeping jobs.  The Graduation Festivities were held in Bacau in the amphitheater of the Agricola International headquarters. The women received their diplomas in the presence of local public authorities, business people, previous graduates and volunteers. The event was organized in partnership with Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar and Bacau City Hall to offer public recognition of the accomplishements of GDC’s 2005 graduates.

March 16, 2005: An event to celebrate the publishing of Romania Redux: A View from Harvard and to benefit the Alex Fund. The book is co-authored by Dan Dimancescu, Tiberius Vadan, Manuel Costescu, Anca Harasim, Verena Kugi, Cristiana Pasca, Marian Stas with contributions from Joaquin Altenberg. The evening included cocktails, appetizers, music, discussion and auction of a trip to Romania.

March 15, 2005: A performance of HurlyBurly by David Rabe at the Acorn Theatre, New York City, in benefit of The Alex Fund. This acclaimed production stars Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey, and Wally Shawn. The performance was followed by a panel discussion with members of the cast and the director, Scott Elliott.

January 10, 2005: Leslie Hawke receives Outstanding Citizen Achievement Citation from USAID, Bureau for Europe and Eurasia,  at a ceremony at the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center, New York University.

November 12, 2004: Gala Benefit dinner honoring Ambassador Michael Guest in New York City.

May 27, 2004: Public Mothers Program graduation, celebrating the three-year anniversary of Gata, Dispus si Capabil. All 64 women who have graduated since 2001 and are still holding jobs were honored by speakers including the Vice-Mayor of Bacau, the County Council President, the American Ambassador's deputy, and Princess Marina Sturdza. Also recognized were 25 children who have "skipped a grade" as a result of Stefanita's intensive tutoring program for overage students.

February 25, 2004: Third annual Bacau Community Awards Gala, a fund-raising benefit for FSC, honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the local community.   

November 7, 2003: Alex Fund benefit in New York City, featuring a performance of Henry IV at Lincoln Center and elegant supper with members of the cast: Kevin Kline, Ethan Hawke, Richard Easton and Dana Ivey.

September 15: Two satellite Stefanita programs are started in public elementary schools in heavily populated Roma neighborhoods.

September 10:  Fifth group of mothers (15 women) start Doinita's four-month job training program.

July and August: 8-week summer school for over 100 children in two locations, offering preparatory and remedial schooling as well as special activities, such as a two-week dance workshop. Summer school culminates in assemblies presented to the students' parents.

June 8-14:  “Better Neighborhoods” task force tours exemplary Roma projects in Eastern Europe.

May 13:  Alex Fund benefit in New York City, featuring a performance of the 2003 Tony Award winner, Long Day's Journey into Night, and elegant supper with members of the cast: Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Dennehy.

April 13:  Second storytelling workshop for Doinita program mothers and Stefanita teachers by acclaimed storyteller, Laura Simms.  Funded by Open Society Institute, NY. 

March 31-April 4:  Daytop International conducts inter-agency workshop for 50 local professionals about the therapeutic community model of drug treatment. 

March 10:  Graduation Ceremony for Doinita Program’s third class of trainees.

February 27: Bacau’s Second Annual Community Awards Gala, a fund-raising benefit for FSC, honoring local people who have made significant contributions to the Bacau community.