The Generation Project's summer launch tour--sponsored and hosted by Rugby Ralph Lauren--made its second stop in New York City Wednesday night at the Rugby store off Union Square. Over 100 guests enjoyed an open bar, a buffet spread, shopping incentives and, of course, the opportunity to become a philanthropist by designing gifts for kids in low-income areas. New York City donors took full advantage of the opportunity to flex their creative muscles, as befits a city that was named one of the five best for artists in the world. Some of the gift highlights from the New York City event included:
- -$25 for a "Build a Robot" kit
- -$40 to teach young men "How to Meet Girls" (through the purchase of poetry books for school libraries)
- -$60 for a butterfly-growing kit for an elementary school class
- -A $200 annual grant for a young person that wants to change their neighborhood for the better
- -$400 to launch a program where high school juniors and seniors tutor younger students
- -$400 for a fully customizable electronic "Jeopardy" set for a high-need classroom
- -$1000 to send 1 or 2 inner-city kids on academic summer enrichment programs
And judging from the event, chess is the new hotness in NYC. Motivated, perhaps, by the Rugby store's proximity to Washington Square Park and the New York City "Chess District," at least eight donors designated their money to go towards a chess tournament and chess education in one or more Bronx schools!
The launch tour's next stop is in Chicago this Wednesday at the Rugby store (1000 West Armitage). As always, your minimum $25 donation directly funds a gift you design, and gets you an open bar, free food, and a chance to win one of three shopping sprees from Rugby Ralph Lauren!
Login to our community section to see the full list of gifts, and check out our photo gallary from the evening--and read about the surprising identity of our $350 grand prize shopping spree winner--after the jump. For DC pictures, see our earlier blog post, or head on over to the Rugby blog and check out their gallary. More...