Volare alto nella Grande Mela: Ricostruzione del primo evento di EE a New York!

Emily’s Entourage is truly taking off. There’s no stopping us. How do we know? Because we took to New York City for the first time and – fuggedaboutit Brooklyn! – it totally rocked. What started as a small, local movement in Philadelphia has officially spread. This was a night we will never forget in the city that never sleeps.

On this amazing evening over 300 Entourage members filled Streb in Williamsburg. There were lots of familiar faces and many new ones too. The raffle table was stocked with amazing items and every jar was overflowing with tickets. The crowd heard unforgettable speeches and saw a breathtaking performance by aerial acrobats that blew our minds. We took selfies at the awesome Bosco photobooth. And at the end of it all the crowd took to their phones, made their final pledges of the evening, and WOW—the donations poured in. Frank Sinatra said “It’s up to you, New York”—and New York, you did not disappoint.

Surpassing our goal amidst cheers and applause!

Event co-chairs Coby Kramer-Golinkoff and Bronwyn Breitner with Emily

During the inaugural New York event Emily’s Entourage raised an incredible $110,000, surpassing our goal of $100,000. We still can’t believe it!

Here are some highlights from the night:

The first speaker was Emily’s Entourage Board member and host for the evening, Doug Young, who energized and mobilized the crowd. ‘We’re here to do something epic,” he said. And we did.

Event co-chair and Emily’s “honorary sister” Bronwyn Breitner spoke next. She thanked all of the incredible volunteers and committee members who made this night possible and marveled at the outpouring of support.

Next up was Emily’s brother and event co-chair Coby. Coby told a story about how he realized on a hike to Machu Picchu that his mission in life was to save his sister. It changed him forever, he said, and it probably changed a lot of people in that room too. There were not many dry eyes in the house. These first three speeches were streamed live during the event, and reached over 8,000 people! You can view them here

Next, everyone got to screen the 2016 Emily’s Entourage video and then heard from Emily herself. Emily shared her inspiring story and updated us on all of her amazing accomplishments. She reminded us all about why we were there: to find a cure. To save lives. “This Entourage. All of you. You’re my hope to defy gravity. To create a system that pumps out breakthroughs faster and more precisely than ever before. That transforms the momentum of free fall into an act of aerial wonder. To latch onto a harness. And fly.”  Listen to her powerful speech here

Proudly wearing their EE gear, Streb acrobats amazed the crowd with their performance

And speaking of flying—the night was capped by this amazing performance by the aerial acrobats of Streb. A fitting way to finish a wondrous event. It really reminded all of us that this is just the beginning. Emily’s Entourage IS taking off. 

You can see it all for yourself in this photo album from the event, with a thank you to John and Will Abbott for capturing the spirit of this perfect evening with their spectacular photographs! We want to extend a special thank our amazing sponsors including Soar Sponsor Vodka artigianale Tito's and EE Dream Team sponsor Vertex Farmaceutici. To everyone who donated a raffle or auction item, our incredible volunteers, and everyone who came out to support Emily’s Entourage in our first foray into the Big Apple — with all our hearts, we thank you. Let’s fly!