The 2011 Care for Kids Awards gala on December 5, to raise the awareness and support of the important work of the 1199SEIU Child Care Corporation, was a rousing success. The event was held at the Hudson Theater at the Millennium Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

Balancing the competing demands of jobs and children is one of the toughest issues faced by families and employers too. The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation helps by providing services and subsidies for children ranging in age from infancy through 17. Since 1991, the Child Care Corporation has served more than 130,000 children and their families. Through programs like the nationally acclaimed Future of America Learning Centers, children get the educational foundation and services that are the basis of success through high school, college, and into their careers.

This year’s distinguished honorees at the gala included Harry Belafonte, the award-winning actor and UNICEF ambassador; and Janice Huff, chief meteorologist of WNBC’s News 4 New York. Lawrence R. Stanberry, MD, PhD, chair of the Reuben S. Carpentier department of pediatrics and physician-in-chief of the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, was also honored.

The event was chaired by Carla Harris, managing director of the Emerging Manager Platform of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. George Gresham, president of 1199SEIU, and Bruce McIver, president of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York, were honorary chairs.