Friends of San Miguel Program gathered at Westchester Country Club on Thursday, September 21st for an evening honoring 2023 IMPACT Award winners Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, Inc, Mercy University, and Mike Oates and the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. For the second year in a row, we were honored to have Lisa LaRocca of News12 host the event. The keynote address was given by Henry Nataren SMA ‘17, who has been interning with Hudson Valley Investment Advisors while attending SUNY New Paltz. Henry, who will graduate in May 2024 with double majors in Finance and Accounting, told the audience, “I stand before you today not only as a beneficiary of education but as a testament to its life-altering potential.” A special video presentation captured the mission of our Graduate Success Program and the critical role of our success partners.
A $25,000 matching gift was offered by long-time friends of San Miguel Program, Bonnie and Tom Grace, to renovate a math classroom at the school. As a testimony to the enormous generosity in the room, the matching gift was not only matched but exceeded. Special guests and icons of the rowing community Arshay Cooper and Mike Teti closed out the evening with Ann Mara Cacase, who announced that San Miguel Program was awarded an NFL Play:60 grant, the League’s national Youth Health and Wellness initiative. The formal presentation will be on October 2nd at MetLife Stadium during the Giants v. Seahawks game when our hardworking student-athletes will receive the award.
We are grateful for the incredible generosity of our community and its belief in our mission to break the cycle of poverty through education. San Miguel Academy opened in 2006 as a middle school and has grown into the multi-faceted San Miguel Program. Our method centers around a 12-year commitment to each student, which is integral to changing the trajectory of our students’ lives. San Miguel Program is 100% scholarship-driven, serving low-income opportunity students and their families.
