“The Yuletide Ball continues to break records. For the fourth year in a row we have set a new fundraising record, this year we raised more than $660,000 for the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society,” said Dr. Ashley Williams, executive director of the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society.

The Yuletide Ball is BKS’s largest fundraiser, providing critical resources for their Music & Movement Program which brings tennis, violin, and yoga lessons into their seven early childhood centers in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville and Crown Heights. Yuletide also funds their state-of-the art Fran Bernstein Sensory Gym and their wider occupational therapy program which serves all BKS students with learning differences and developmental delays. Together, these programs inspire, challenge and cultivate their students’ cognitive, emotional and social development as they expand their fine and gross motor skills.

“JJ and I are again delighted to support an organization like the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society. I am so excited for the work my fellow chairs have accomplished this year,” said Chelsea Redick. 

“I have been a long-time supporter of BKS and have hosted a Yuletide Ball dinner for over 10 years. I was honored to be asked to chair the Ball with such a great team,” said Andrea Turner Moffitt. “Having seen the work BKS accomplishes firsthand, I am delighted to be able to support BKS in this way.”  

Since 1920, generations of Brooklynites have looked forward to the Yuletide Ball, an annual gathering to support Brooklyn kids and celebrate the holidays. The Yuletide Ball has provided millions of dollars to the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society, originally the Brooklyn Free Kindergarten Society, for more than 100 years. The Yuletide Ball is unique in that BKS’s friends and supporters first gather in their homes and in restaurants throughout Brooklyn for dinners and receptions before making their way to the Heights Casino for dancing and merriment.

“I am in my second year of chairing the Yuletide Ball, and the community has once again come together to create another festive fundraiser. Yuletide is such a wonderfully fun way to raise money for BKS,” Jona Brisske said.

Revenue from the annual fundraiser has doubled since 2019, and the cost of fundraising for the event was reduced to just 16% in 2023; this means it cost BKS just 16 cents for every dollar it raised. This year’s ball took place at the Heights Casino and began at 9 p.m. with music from the American samba band, Os Clavalitos, followed by DJ Suga Ray at 10:30pm. The event ended at 1 a.m. 

The 2024 Yuletide Ball was chaired by Aditi Ahooja, Jona Brisske, Chelsea Redick and Andrea Turner Moffitt.

“I am truly thankful for the opportunity to support an organization that means so much to our community. The programs that Yuletide backs have a profound impact on the education of Brooklyn’s youngest learners,” Aditi Ahooja said. “BKS holds a special place in my heart, and I’m delighted to be a part of its mission.” 

About The Brooklyn Kindergarten Society

The Brooklyn Kindergarten Society (BKS) is the original “born in Brooklyn”. Founded in 1891, BKS has provided high-quality early childhood education to families throughout Brooklyn for 133 years. BKS’s mission is to provide high-quality early childhood education and family support services, ensuring that children develop the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. BKS operates seven Early Childhood Centers, located in current or former NYCHA housing, and each center serves the unique needs of its students and families. All area students ages two to five-years-old are welcome to apply to BKS. To donate or get more information, visit the website.