Hospital raises $1.4 million at annual gala

The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation raised $1.422 million at a fundraiser gala June 4 for the planned creation of a new pediatric emergency department at the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

A total of 850 people attended the 27th annual Founders Ball to raise money for the center on DeKalb Avenue as part of a $30 million project to expand and modernize the emergency department, according to Debbie Niederhoffer, vice-president and chief development officer of the Brooklyn Hospital Foundation, and Dr. Harry Dym, the foundation’s co-chairperson.

“In our area, a lot of hospitals have closed [and] services have decreased, so the need for our emergency department has been increasing every year for the past eight years. We have [outgrown] our current space,” Niederhoffer said. “So we are embarking on a complete expansion of the emergency department. The pediatric department is just one part.”

Niederhoffer said the foundation raised most of the money upfront through sponsorships and the tickets people bought to attend.

The foundation also honored local leaders from the medical and philanthropic community.

“I think we met a greater goal of disseminating to the community at large the goals of the Brooklyn Hospital,” said Dym. “I think Brooklyn is changing for the better, and I think Brooklyn Hospital is part of that change.”

Among the attendees were Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo (D-District 35) attended. Sukanya Krishnan, PIX 11 Morning News anchor, was the MC.

The foundation raised $1.7 million last year. In 2009, gala donations totaled $400,000.

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Corazon Aguirre