Grace Institute Honors Morgan Stanley Trailblazer At 2nd Annual Breakfast With Grace

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Grace Institute, a 117-year-old market leader in workforce development in New York City, will honor Morgan Stanley's Caroline Gundeck, at the second annual Breakfast with Grace on Thursday, October 2nd at the Metropolitan Club. Gundeck, Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, is a trailblazing female executive that was recently honored at the 2014 MAKERS conference.

The event will also feature a filmed endorsement from Facebook's Chief Operating Officer and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg.

Breakfast With Grace will raise funds for Grace Institute's job-skills training and placement program that serves nearly 300 of the City's unemployed and underemployed women annually.

Founded in 1897, Grace Institute empowers underserved women in the New York area to achieve employment and self-sufficiency by providing skills training, counseling, placement services and continuous learning opportunities. Grace is one of the only workforce programs serving exclusively women, and the organization places 80% of its graduates in jobs within one year.

Inspired by Gundeck and Sandberg, Grace women joined forces with New York City Lean In to launch their own Lean In Circle, a group that meets monthly to share experiences, and learn from and" lean on" each other for professional support and development. In her filmed speech, Sandberg praises the Grace Lean In Circle and congratulates Caroline Gundeck for her "tremendous efforts in empowering women at Morgan Stanley and at Grace Institute."

"At Grace, our mission is to empower underserved women. Women who under their current life circumstances have little to no opportunity for upward mobility," says Shari Krull, Executive Director of Grace Institute. "Caroline Gundeck and Sheryl Sandberg are two shining role models for our women. At the heart of our program, we are training women to be leaders."

Breakfast with Grace, honoring Caroline Gundeck and featuring a filmed-speech by Sheryl Sandberg, will be held at 7:30 am on Thursday, October 2nd at the Metropolitan Club. Visit www.graceinstitute.org for general details. For Press inquiries, contact Raine Martin at Grace Institute, 212-832-7605 x161 or [email protected].

About Grace Institute
Grace Institute empowers underserved women in the New York area to achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency.  Within a supportive and structured environment, Grace Institute provides job-skills training, counseling, placement services and continuous learning opportunities that lead to upwardly mobile employment.  Grace Institute offers these services so that participants can realize their inherent strength, resilience and limitless potential.

Grace Institute serves nearly 300 unemployed underserved women annually. Grace participants are incredibly diverse ranging in age, background and experience level, and are united by their motivation to create a brighter future for themselves and their families. Within one year of graduation, 80% of students gain full-time 'ladder jobs' and are on the path towards financial independence.

SOURCE Grace Institute