FIA's virtual Law & Compliance Division Conference (L&C-V) on 28-30 April raised $2,600 for Breakthrough New York, a non-profit organization that works to transform the lives of children from low-income backgrounds by providing educational support from middle school through college and into careers. L&C-V attendees donated throughout the conference to help provide programming and support to students.
Breakthrough New York's 10-year success program is committed to getting selected high-potential, low-income New York City public school students to competitive four-year colleges. It provides students with summer and afterschool academic programming, mentoring, test preparation, and high school and college application guidance. It also inspires young people to enter careers in education through a students-teaching-students model in which it hires and trains college and high school students to teach.
BTNY says its program strives to create leaders who break the cycle of poverty in their families and effect positive change in their communities. Since its founding in 1999, it has expanded in size and scope and now serves more than 500 students, providing a full 10 years of support for every student, starting from the summer before seventh grade.
"We not only provide the student with the tools to succeed in an academic environment, we deliver students who are committed to making themselves and the world better," BTNY says.
The organization has a history of strong support from FIA and the futures and derivatives industry. Kimberly Johns, managing director and associate general counsel at Goldman Sachs and her predecessor Bonnie Litt both are members of BTNY's board of directors. Maria Chiodi, managing director in the general counsel’s office at Credit Suisse Securities (USA), and FIA president and CEO Walt Lukken are past honorees, while Michael Dawley, the former chair of the National Futures Association and former chair of FIA was saluted at BTNY's annual gala in 2019. FIA's Law & Compliance Division and many FIA member firms have been donors and sponsors for several years.
To learn more about Breakthrough New York and to make a donation, visit www.btny.org or follow the organization on social media via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
