BRONX, N.Y., July 1, 2022 – The Morris Heights Health Center (MHHC) Foundation hosted its 20th IMPACT Awards Gala at the beautiful Marina Del Rey in the Bronx on Thursday, June 23, 2022, drawing in more than 400 attendees from across the Bronx and the Tristate area. The annual gala, which was held in-person for the first time in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the health center’s largest and most prominent fundraising event of the year. The gala established to support the organizations ongoing mission to provide quality, affordable and accessible healthcare for all.
Every year, the IMPACT Awards Gala allows for community partners, legislators, key stakeholders, staff, and supporters of the health center to gather and celebrate those individuals that have made an IMPACT in underserved communities in the Bronx and New York City. Moreover, it gives the organization the opportunity to provide financial support to low-income, college bound students in the area. Since 2013, the MHHC foundation has provided a need-based scholarship program to empower the youth to seek diverse, postsecondary academic opportunities while easing the financial burden. To date, the foundation has awarded 83 scholarships totaling over $500,000 to college bound high school seniors through their IMPACT Awards Scholarship.
At this year’s gala, the foundation presented Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, 36th NYS Senate District and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, NYS Assembly District 42, with the Advocacy Impact Award; Dr. Bola Omotosho, President of Community Board 5, with the Community Interest Impact Award; Tomas Ramos, CEO & Founder of The Oyate Group’s Bronx Rising Initiative, with the Health and Wellness Impact Award; Victoria Schneps-Yunis, CEO & Founder of Schneps Media, with the Trailblazer Impact Award; José Serrano, MHHC Board Member, with the Leadership Impact Award; and Hiram Torres, VP of Operations, BronxCare Health System, with the Community Partnership Impact Award. In addition, the foundation honored the late Thomasina Bushby, a former member of the Morris Heights Health Center Board of Directors, with a posthumous award in recognition of her longtime service and dedication to MHHC and the Bronx.
Guests enjoyed an evening of fine dining, and the sounds of upbeat tempos by The Cassandra Band as they watched the much-anticipated fashion show that featured MHHC employees on the runway. The Mistress of Ceremonies for the event was New York 1 News Reporter and Bronx native Amy Yensi. This year’s guest speaker included Consul General of Jamaica, Alsion Roach Wilson.
Funds raised through this year’s gala will help support the development of MHHC’s next IMPACTful initiative—The MHHC Integrative Health and Wellness Center, a new six-story, 62, 000 square foot health facility designed to foster good health and address the social risk factors that disproportionately impact residents in the Bronx. The new health center will offer clinical, preventive, community, and social services including but not limited to a senior center, child-care center, fitness center, financial and computer literacy, and a community meeting space, in high-need, low-income neighborhoods, all under one roof.
About MHHC Foundation: The MHHC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of MHHC. The foundation provides an array of programs and services critical to the holistic wellbeing and development of the Bronx community. Located in America’s poorest congressional district in the southwest Bronx, the MHHC Foundation has mobilized more than $50 million in the fight against poverty and inequality since its inception. Past initiatives include the development of Harrison Circle, a 112, 000 square foot mixed-use facility that includes the expansion of medical services and the inclusion of senior housing units, in partnership with The Mount Hope Housing Company. For more information, please visit our website at www.mhhcfoundation.org, or connect with us on Twitter, and Instagram.
About Morris Heights Health Center: MHHC is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that has served the Bronx community since 1981. Providing primary care, specialty care, dental services, behavioral health services, insurance enrollment, supportive services and school-based health services to more than 57,000 patients annually. MHHC has long-been a healthcare safety net for many of the Bronx’s medically underserved and disadvantaged residents. For more information, please visit our website at www.mhhc.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Click here to view photos from the 2022 IMPACT Awards Gala