Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities to Honor Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D at its Benefit Gala on May 19

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SAIL INTO SUMMER Gala May 19

Dr. Soifer’s breadth of knowledge, her passion for helping children, and her exquisite humor and charm have allowed her to have a huge impact on so many families and professionals


NORWALK, Conn. (PRWEB)

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. will hold its Annual Benefit Gala, SAIL INTO SUMMER, on Thursday, May 19 at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT.

At the Gala, Smart Kids with LD will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D. Dr. Soifer is a renowned pediatric language and literacy specialist, whose experience includes over 45 years in clinical practice, educational consulting, and university teaching. She was the founder and director of The Soifer Center for Learning and Child Development, the first multidisciplinary diagnostic and remedial setting in Westchester County for 25 years, and continues to provide educational consultation and advocacy services to families.

Dr. Soifer specializes in the role of language in the development of children’s learning, literacy, behavior, and social-emotional development. Dr. Soifer states, “Helping parents and teachers know how to answer the question, “Who is this child?”, has been my great joy professionally. Being acknowledged by an exemplary organization like Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities for doing what I love, is incredibly humbling.”

Dr. Soifer is a member of the Board of Trustees of Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, CT and The Gateway School in New York City, and serves as a member of the Smart Kids with LD Professional Advisory Board. She is also an Assistant Professor at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, the author of a chapter in a key textbook on Multisensory Structured Language Teaching, and presents regularly to parent as well as professional groups.

Dr. Chris Bogart, President of the Board of Smart Kids with LD and co-Executive Director of the Sasco River Center notes, “I have had the pleasure of working with Lydia for more than two decades. Her breadth of knowledge, her passion for helping children, and her exquisite humor and charm have allowed her to have a huge impact on so many families and professionals.”

During the Gala celebration, Smart Kids with LD will also honor the 2022 Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Award recipients. Ilana Epstein Grady, co-chair of the Youth Achievement Award Committee and the daughter of the late Dr. Fred J. Epstein, in whose honor the awards are named, said, “These awards honor a group of young people from around the country for their remarkable accomplishments, despite the many academic obstacles they have faced. Hearing their stories is always an inspiring part of the evening.”

The Gala will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, and silent and live auctions. Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions will serve as Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer. Gala tickets at $250 and $500 are available at the Sail Into Summer Gala website.

Among the exciting auction items are:

  • An opportunity to name a character in an upcoming novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author, Chris Bohjalian, whose books include The Flight Attendant (now an HBO Max thriller starring Kelly Cuoco)

  • An at-home, gourmet multi-course dinner including wine pairings for eight guests, prepared by award-winning Chef Laurie Erickson, former Executive Chef at Canyon Ranch Spa in Lenox, MA featuring local, organic ingredients and vegetables

  • A luxurious full week’s stay in the highly exclusive Long Bay Beach Enclave of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. The breathtaking 5-bedroom home and accompanying 2- bedroom villa are situated on a private 3-mile white sand beach and include every imaginable luxury amenity

  • Also: An evening on Broadway with house seats for Hamilton and dinner at Sardi’s, tickets for the NY Yankees v. Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, tickets for the Westport Country Playhouse and Major League Soccer at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, and a fishing excursion on the Long Island Sound.

Smart Kids with LD is grateful to its generous Gala sponsors: Gold Sponsor, The Bridge Program at Wooster School; Silver Sponsors: The Eagle Hill School , Greenwich; Sasco River Center in Darien, Wilton, and Stamford, CT; The Canell Family; Winston Preparatory School with branches in Norwalk, CT, NYC, Long Island, Whippany, NJ and San Rafael, CA; and The Southport School in Southport, CT; Bronze Sponsors: The Gow School in South Wales, NY; The Gateway School in NYC; The Cedar School in Greenwich, CT; Marc Hoffman, author, educator and speaker; and The O’Hare Family.

About Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. is a Norwalk-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fulfilling the potential of children with learning and attention challenges by educating, inspiring and empowering their parents via its educational programs, award-winning website and blog, and free e-newsletter. The organization also educates the public about these children’s gifts and talents. Henry Winkler, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor, director and author, serves as the organization’s Honorary Chairman.

For more information, visit Smart Kids with LD.

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