BUZZ: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ricky Martin ... YouthBuild ... UJA-Federation of New York

Illustration by Zach Williams/ NYN Media

Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda and singer Ricky Martin are headlining The Hispanic Federation’s upcoming gala, according to a press release. The April 19 event will take place at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Manuel will chair the gala and Martin will receive the nonprofit’s annual humanitarian award. “Ricky Martin has passionately raised his voice and taken action to protect and celebrate the rights of children, LGBTQ individuals and Latinos, with his most recent humanitarian work focused on helping Puerto Rico recover from a catastrophe,” said José Calderón, president of the Hispanic Federation.“

The budget bill recently passed by Congress included more than $89 million in federal funding for the YouthBuild program, according to a press release. More than 1,200 young New Yorkers have participated in the program in the past three years, which provides apprenticeship and other work training for at-risk youth. More than 160,000 young people in 44 states have participated during the program’s 26-year history, according to the press release.

Eugene M. Grant, the longest continuous donor in the history of UJA-Federation of New York died at age 99 on April 3. The real estate executive and philanthropist first contributed to the UJA in 1958 with a $1,000 donation. He also served as a board member, chair of an annual campaign, and received a lifetime achievement award in 2016, according to the press release. The Real Deal has more details on his life and work.

The Spring 2018 newsletter is out from the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. The issue includes a piece by Nicole Sharpe, founder of the Heather Hurley Foundation, on the process of recovery, a Q&A with a leading researcher on Adverse Childhood Experiences – plus details on two new fellowship grants and updates on supportive housing issues.