We're grateful to all who attended and supported our second annual spring Beam Benefit Brunch! We’re especially delighted that you joined us to celebrate the people who INSPIRE us: our honoree Fabian Jabro, Beam youth (program participants), staff and collaborating educators and artists.

For the last couple of months, they have been leading many fun, interactive, and cool projects; take a look at the project below to see what they created.

This month’s installment of Beam’s Staff Spotlight series features our Program Associate for Project Leaders, Sayma Mishi. Working with the program’s Director, Lizzie, Mishi spends her time prototyping creative and kid-friendly projects, assisting Project Leaders with their prototyping, preparing snacks, and managing program materials and setup.

2022 was full of ambitious projects, talented young people, and special moments, many of which you can read about in our Annual Report. As we approach the new year, we wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on some incredible things we have accomplished with youth this year.

Beam would like to take a moment to thank each and every person who donated to last week’s GivingTuesday fundraiser. Check out how much we raised and enjoy some behind-the-scenes content!

This month’s installment of Beam’s Staff Spotlight series features our Manager of Institutional Giving, Helena Chung. As the Manager of Institutional Giving, Helena maintains relationships with Beam’s institutional funders, writes grants, organizes volunteer opportunities, and assists with fundraising events like our Annual Gala. In addition to being a full time employee at Beam, Helena is a Korean-American poet currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.

This month's installment of our Community Spotlight series features the youngest member of Beam Center’s Board of Trustees, Ahmad Choudhry. Ahmad is a first-generation college student at Baruch Macaulay Honors College, majoring in Finance and minoring in New York City Studies. Along with being a student at Baruch, Ahmad is working at Rothschild & Co, an investment banking company.

This month’s installment of our Staff Spotlight series features our Program Facilitator, Breanna Hayes. Breanna became part of Beam Center in 2017 when she was recruited to the Apprenticeship program from the Boys and Girls High School.

Our June Community Spotlight series features our first ever Junior Project Designer, Adiel. Adiel participated in our Apprenticeship Program in 2020 and has spent the last year working on our Project Leaders team.

Through the Beam Center Apprenticeship Program, we train teams of NYC youth in collaborative project-making and leadership. Our Spring Apprentices are currently participating in Beam’s “Learning to Teach” instruction, which gives them a taste of what it is like to be a Project Leader and teaches them how to facilitate project-based programs for other youth.

Check out what’s been happening with Project Leaders at the Dock Street School, where students are learning how to make their own boomboxes.

Beam’s March Community Spotlight is Joshaun, a member of Beam’s Project Leaders Program.