Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick to Welcome Both Men and Women at 235th Anniversary Dinner in 2019

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Kevin J. Rooney, President of the Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in the City of New York:

As the President of the Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in the City of New York (the "Society"), I have the honor and privilege of announcing that for the first time in the Society's history, women will be welcomed as guests of our members for the Society's 235^th Anniversary Dinner on March 15, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel. The Society's members are encouraged to invite their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, nieces, and female cousins, friends and colleagues to join us for the Anniversary Dinner.

Founded in 1784, the Society's original mission was to welcome and assist the poor and distressed natives of Ireland, many of whom were fleeing religious persecution, violence, famine and poverty in Ireland, and hoping to establish new lives for themselves and their families in the United States. For more than 234 years, the Society has provided aid and comfort to individuals in dire need of assistance. Over the last several decades, as less and less Irish citizens immigrated to the United States, the Society expanded its reach to assist all people, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

In 2019, the Society will again expand its reach, this time with regard to the audience it welcomes to its Anniversary Dinner, by encouraging its members to bring at least one guest, preferably a female guest, to the dinner. This "expansive" approach is consistent with our long history of supporting all people – especially women. Over the last decade alone, the Society has contributed more than $2 million in financial support to a wide variety of worthy organizations: medical care facilities for children, the elderly and the terminally ill; food pantries and kitchens for the poor; shelters for the homeless; job counseling and support programs for U.S. military veterans; and high school scholarships for poor and middle class families struggling to provide a pathway to prosperity for their children. In every case, women have benefited from the Society's support.

Thus, as a proper reflection of its charitable mission and actions, the Society will now welcome both men and women to celebrate St. Patrick's Day together at our Anniversary Dinner, and ensure that the Society continues its centuries-long tradition of supporting the most vulnerable members of New York City.

The Society's Anniversary Dinner is one of the oldest charitable events in the country and has always featured leading figures from the political, educational, religious, sports and entertainment communities. The Society's distinguished list of past speakers includes U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, Harry Truman, Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt; Supreme Court Justices William Taft, Charles Evans Hughes, Antonin Scalia, James Byrnes and Francis Murphy; Governors Alfred E. Smith, Hugh Carey, Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, and Dannel Molloy. More recent speakers have included White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Senators Charles Schumer, George Mitchell, Bill Bradley, John McCain and Robert Casey, Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani, General John Kelly, Vice Admiral John Ryan, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, and Representative Peter King.

We are confident that the inclusion of women at the Society's Anniversary Dinner will serve as a peaceful example of inclusion, compassion and respect for all people.

Kevin J. Rooney
President
[email protected] 
(212) 269-1770

SOURCE The Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in the City of New York

Related Links

http://www.friendlysonsnyc.com/