Cooke Board Chairman Takes Strong
Stand Against Discrimination at
Cooke Spring Gala
Event Raises more than $ 760,000 for Road to Independence Campaign
Cooke's Board Chairman Lon Jacobs spoke out against discrimination toward people with special needs when he was honored at Cooke's Road to Independence Spring Gala on April 27.
Cooke honors Board Chairman Lon Jacobs
"The Cooke Center should be proud of its many accomplishments, none more so than to treat each of our kids as an individual who possesses unique gifts," said Mr. Jacobs as he received Cooke's Founders Award at the Wizard-of-Oz themed benefit, which raised $760,000 for Cooke's Road to Independence Campaign.
People who discriminate "need to be educated"
"Unfortunately, much of the rest of the world does not share this view. The word 'retard' appears 17 times in Ben Stiller's film Tropic Thunder," he told the crowd of 400 guests. "And of course people with intellectual disabilities are now a favorite target on the Internet," he said.
Senior Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel at News Corporation, Mr. Jacobs spoke of how discrimination has hurt his own daughter Molly, a 12-year-old with a mild cognitive impairment who started with Cooke in kindergarten.
"I can't remember what I was like before Molly was born. She has never had a bad day," said the proud dad. Yet, he said, people think it's okay to stare at Molly in public. "Why is it so hard to understand that people with special needs count as much as you and me?"
Mr. Jacobs' has some advice for the crowd at Cipriani 42nd St: "The next time you hear someone use the word [retard] or see someone humiliate a person with disabilities, call them on it. Most people aren't evil; they are simply ignorant and need to be educated."
Friends and Supporters
Mr. Jacobs also thanked Ira Sheinfeld and Hogan & Hartson for their support of Cooke over the years, not only with financial contributions but by accepting and mentoring Cooke student-interns.
Many other supporters turned out to support Cooke on the warm spring evening, including lead donors like News Corporation, Allen & Company, Goldman Sachs and Loeb and Loeb. Cooke Board members and several Cooke parents were also there to celebrate. Fox 5 News Anchors Ernie Anastos and Dari Alexander emceed the event with humor and charm.
NASDAQ OMX Honored
Also honored at the gala was NASDAQ OMX, which has been tremendously supportive of Cooke's technology efforts and its programming for older teens.
"The innovation and creativity that defines Cooke is seen every day," said Bruce Aust, executive vice president for NASDAQ's Corporate Client Group. "Cooke prepares their students for life."
