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St. Charles Avenue magazine was pleased to feature the 2010 Activists of the Year, Tom and Gayle Benson, as well as the Unsung Hero of the Year, Robert Fogarty, in the November 2010 issue. These three community activists contribute so much philanthropically to New Orleans – from Mr. Benson’s work with local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to Mrs. Benson’s myriad contributions to religious charities to Fogarty’s organizations Evacuteer.org and Dear New Orleans, LLC – that we thought they deserved some recognition.
The Activists of the Year party and awards presentation took place on November 17 at Martin Lawrence Gallery.
Attendees enjoyed music from John Rankin, complimentary champagne and wine, plus hors d’oeuvres from Toulouse Gourmet Catering, set to the backdrop of masterpieces by Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso and more.
Gayle and Tom Benson received their awards before gracing the audience with a few touching words; there weren’t many dry eyes in the gallery. Robert Fogarty accepted his award before surprising Mr. Benson with a framed photograph of his Dear New Orleans photo shoot, featuring a smiling Mr. Benson with the phrase “We are all winners” scrawled on his hand.
