Mayor Cory A. Booker to Headline K.I.D.S. Annual Gala

NEW YORK, NY, October 17, 2012 (Press-News.org) Cory A. Booker, Mayor of the City of Newark, New Jersey's largest city, will deliver the keynote address at the 27th Annual Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) Gala, held at Cipriani 42nd St. on Thursday, December 6, 2012. The celebration, attended by industry leaders, is the top-rated charity's yearly event to assist with its mission to minimize the effects and elevate awareness of child and teen poverty nationwide.

Celebrated for his bold vision and transforming the economically depressed urban landscape of Newark, Mayor Booker will also accept the K.I.D.S. Agency Partner Award on behalf of Newark Now, a long time partner of the non-profit that provides services and programs to more than 15,000 impoverished Newark families.

Mayor Booker's leadership and his significant civic strides began even before he was elected into office. In 2003, Booker founded Newark Now, a grassroots non-profit organization that connects Newark residents to useful resources and services in order to help transform their communities. Today, Newark Now's multiple organizations have made significant contributions and changes for the families of Newark through partnerships with government, residents and philanthropic organizations such as K.I.D.S.

Known for his tenacity and dedication to empowering others to limitless potential, Mayor Booker is one of fast-rising stars in politics, and helped put Newark back on the map, as one of America's cities of hope and promise. His efforts have been recognized and lauded by colleagues, civic leaders and numerous media outlets, including being named to the 2011 TIME 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

At the Gala, Mayor Booker will be among a distinguished group of honorees including, the Army & Air Force Exchange Services; CEO Howard Kahn, on behalf of Kahn Lucas/Madame Alexander, and President of the Toy Industry Association, Carter Keithley, on behalf of the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF).

For more than 26 years, K.I.D.S. has provided hope and self-esteem to more than seventy million children and their families that are challenged by poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, military family service, low literacy, major illness, incarcerated family members and disaster survival. Made possible by the generous donations of outstanding manufacturers and retailers, K.I.D.S. distributes brand new children's products through its network of nearly one thousand local social service agencies across the U.S. and around the world.

To purchase tickets and receive more information, email KIDS_GALA@frontier.com or call 845-758-6403, and visit http://www.kidsdonations.org.

About K.I.D.S.
Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.) was founded in 1985 with the mission of providing new kid-essentials to children and teens who have been impacted by poverty and tragedy. With a network of over 1,000 local partner agencies located in all 50 states and consistently low overhead costs; K.I.D.S. is able to effectively and efficiently deliver products directly to children when and where they need it. Since its inception, K.I.D.S has provided almost 1 billion dollars of new product to help nearly 70 million children. The charity continues to be recognized by Charity Navigator with its highest four star rating. The Chronicle of Philanthropy places K.I.D.S. among the top 2 percent of non-profits in the U.S. and Forbes Magazine ranks the charity 6th in fundraising efficiency. K.I.D.S. receives both product and financial donations directly from companies, foundations and individuals with 97% of the value of all donations going directly to children and teens in need. To find out more about K.I.D.S., go to http://www.kidsdonations.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: To speak with Cory Booker or for more information about K.I.D.S., please contact Karen Bromley at 212-696-1100.