“Little Luce” Foundation Celebrates Twenty Five Years at Asia Society with Singer Quinn Lemley

New York, N.Y. — The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation and Orphans International Worldwide celebrated 25 years of service on Oct. 17, 2024 at the Henry Luce Penthouse of the Asia Society on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) and Dr. Robert Thurman of Columbia University received the foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

New York State Assembly member Rebecca Seawright, New York City Council members Gale Brewer and Julie Menin, and New Jersey State Assembly member Shama Haider each took home the foundation’s Clare Boothe Luce Award.

Indhira Arrington, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for Ares Management Corporation and Vlada von Shats, proprietor of The Russian Samovar in Manhattan’s Theater District both received the foundation’s first Mayflower Award for first generation Americans making a difference.

Liz Abzug of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, Rita Cosby of WABC, and Dr. Maurie McInnis, the new president of Yale University, were each presented the foundation’s Quarter Century Global Leadership Award.

Foundation president Jim Luce told The Stewardship Report, “Award shows often risk losing their audience’s energy, so for our 25th anniversary at the Asia Society, we wanted to ensure an unforgettable celebration.

Having previously seen Quinn Lemley’s stunning off-Broadway tribute to Rita Hayworth, we knew she was the perfect choice to captivate our crowd.”

Quinn Lemley is graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a Distinguished Toastmaster at Toastmasters International and proud member of National Speakers Association. She is a proud member of SAG, AFTRA, AEA, DTM, NSA NY, APAP, and IEBA.

“We invited her to perform Barbra Streisand’s iconic “Don’t Rain on My Parade” for our milestone event,” Luce continued.

“Quinn delivered with incredible enthusiasm, powerful vocals, and flawless professionalism, leaving the audience completely spellbound. She now stands among the greats—Nancy Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, and Bea Arthur—who have mastered this classic song,” Luce said.

“We can’t wait to have Quinn perform for us again and eagerly anticipate her upcoming album and show!,” Luce concluded.

The theme of this 25th anniversary evening will be ‘Peace is possible even in the face of senseless violence. Young global leadership embraces nonviolent conflict resolution.’

Highlighting the event will be the presentation of the prestigious Claire Boothe Luce Award for Public Service, alongside the Luce 24 Under 24 Recognition Awards.

The collective efforts of Orphans International and the J. Luce Foundation have empowered youth and enriched communities globally, as well as here in New York City, raising over two million dollars and impacting the lives of over two thousand young individuals.

Renown architect Noushin Ehsan, AIA states, “I am honored to have been selected as a recipient of The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. I look forward to celebrating with such remarkable individuals dedicated to making a positive global impact.”

The Silver Anniversary Reception will take place in the Luce Penthouse of the Asia Society, situated on Park Avenue at 70th Street, New York City. A 30-second spot (below) has been created to publicize the event, courtesy of Triumph Communications. Business of national attire is encouraged for the occasion.

Awards

Awardees are still being invited but already include a member of the New York City Council and two college presidents.

The awards are as follows:

• 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2024 Claire Boothe Luce Award for Public Service
• 2024 Commander Stephen Bleecker Luce Award
• 2024 Humanitarian of the Year Award
• 2024 Artists-in-Residence
• 2024 Luce 24 Under 24 Recognition Award
• Quarter Century Global Officers Recognition Award
• Quarter Century Graduate Role Models
• Quarter Century Global Leadership Role Models

Past Awards Recipients include: H.E. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (Bahrain), H.S.H. Prince Albert (Monaco), Imam Shamsi Ali (Indonesia), Prof. Lenni Benson (N.Y. Law School), H.E. Catherine Boura (Greece), Danielle Duret, M.D. (Haiti), Meera Teresa Gandhi (India), Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil (India), Cindy Hsu, Hon. Jeremiah Hyacinth (St. Lucia), Princess Khaliya Aga Khan, H.E. Amb. Dr. Palitha Kohona (Sri Lanka), Dr. Judy Kuriansky (Columbia University), H.E. Hon. Li Baodong (China), Kevin McGovern, Rear Adm. Michael Alfultis, Hon. Carolyn Maloney, Hon. Geneive Brown Metzger LLD (Jamaica), Taku Nishimae (Japan), Hon. Mitzi Perdue, and Hon. Jumaane Williams.

Global Heroes: In the Initial Report of Orphans International Worldwide (1999), the founder wrote, “Without saints, secular or divine, sanctity can too easily be viewed as mere abstraction. Our children need heroes. The courage of Mahatma Gandhi and the brilliance of Albert Einstein make sainthood a reality for us all.”

In our Initial Report, Luce called for 36 real-life saints to serve as role models for the children of OIW as part of the process of Raising Global Leaders. These global heroes included:

Mahatma Gandhi, Oscar Romero, The Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Katharine Drexel, Dorothy Day, Woodrow Wilson, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Yitzhak Rabin, Pearl S. Buck, Menachem Begin, Heinrich Böll, Willy Brandt, Albert Camus, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Gabriel García Márquez, Dag Hammarskjöld, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Yasunari Kawabata, Rudyard Kipling, Le Duc Tho, Sinclair Lewis, Thomas Mann, Eugene O’Neil, Anwar Sadat, Jean-Paul Sartre, Eisaku Sato, Isaac Bashevis Singer, John Steinbeck, Rabindranath Tagore, and Elie Wiesel.

Projects

Past

• Orphans International Worldwide homes & projects: Bali, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Tanzania
• Orphans International Worldwide Global Standards
• Luce Leadership Experience: Greece, Indonesia, Jamaica, India, Sri Lanka, and Haiti

Present

• Saraswati & Lotus Schools (India), Ganesha Orphan Home (India), The Stewardship Report
• James Jay Dudley Luce Foundations Canada and India
• Sponsor The New York Global Leaders Lions Club

Future

• Home for Teen Mothers (Indonesia), Indigenous Health Clinic (Colombia)
• 20th Anniversary of the Great Indian Ocean Tsunami (Sri Lankan Embassy, NYC, 12/26/24)

Past venues for the family’s charities have included: Asia Society, Americas Society, China Institute, Cipriani, Columbia University, Consulate of Cuba, Consulate of India, Consulate of Jamaica, Consulate of Sri Lanka, Consulate of Indonesia, Cornell Club, Harvard Club, Home of Jim Luce, Home of Henry Luce III, Home of Peter Yarrow, El Museo del Barrio, National Arts Club, New York Yacht Club, Princeton Club, Russian Samovar, St. John’s Church, Skadden Arps, United Nations, University Club, Yale Club, Webster Hall, and White & Case.

Quinn Lemley Performs at J. Luce Foundation 25th Anniversary (Oct. 18, 2024)