The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation Celebrates “Care Close to Home” at its Annual Founders Ball Monday, May 19, 2025, 6 pm at the Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation is proud to announce the return of its signature event, the Founders Ball, on May 19, once again at the renowned Brooklyn Museum.

This event celebrates “Care Close to Home.” The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) is a full-service community hospital, which gives our neighbors a sense of security. They know they can save time during a life-threatening emergency or count on family and friends who live close by to easily support them during a hospital stay. And, routine care “right down the block” means residents can get in and out without missing work.

TBHC is making great strides toward bringing healthcare even closer to home with two brand-new outpatient facilities located in Downtown Brooklyn and Greenpoint. Proceeds raised from the Founders Ball will help fund projects like these. Past events have funded a Cardiac Catheterization Lab and a cutting-edge DaVinci Surgical Robot. The event will also commemorate the hospital’s 180th anniversary year and showcase the hospital’s recent accomplishments.

Actress Dascha Polanco, best known for her role as Dayanara “Daya” Diaz in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, will give a message of thanks to our staff and is expected to attend the event. (She delivered her children at TBHC.) Ms. Polanco will also star in the second season of AMC’s The Walking Dead: Dead City premiering this May.

The event will be chaired by Bernie Drayton, retired music and entertainment executive and TBHC Trustee and will honor:

• Errol I. Byer, Jr., MD, FACOG, Chair, Obstetrics & Gynecology, The Brooklyn Hospital Center – Walter E. Reed Medalist
• Joseph H. Davi, Founder & CEO, Med-Metrix – Founders Medalist

The Brooklyn Hospital Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the event’s lead sponsors: New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (also the event’s exclusive underwriter for the cocktail reception), Med-Metrix, St. George’s University, Lizanne Fontaine & Robert Buckholz, and Alvarez & Marsal Capital.

The celebration includes:

• VIP cocktail reception: 5:30 pm
• Cocktail reception: 6 pm
• Dinner and awards program: 7:30 pm
• After party: 9 pm

Join TBHC in Keeping Brooklyn Healthy…and keeping Care Close to Home: Visit foundersball.org to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, or purchase tickets or table packages.