Room to Read’s 25th Anniversary New York gala benefits 62,200 children and celebrates partners in world change; Performance by Salt-N-Pepa

Attendees Included Charithra Chandran, Rhonda Ross, Jackie Chung, Bianca Lawson, Ubah Hassan, and prominent members of the business community

Annual event brought together finance, consumer, entertainment, and media industries to celebrate the transformative power of education and raise investments to benefit 62,200 children facing deep educational inequities through Room to Read’s literacy and gender equality programs.

New York, NY — Room to Read, a global education nonprofit nurturing foundational learning skills in children, held its annual New York Gala on May 13 at Tribeca Rooftop, bringing together more than 350 guests from the finance, consumer, entertainment, and media industries to celebrate the transformative power of education. The event – themed “THE ROOM: Where every corner offers the promise of a better future” – celebrated the organization’s 25 years of creating room for children to read, learn, and grow and raised investments to benefit 62,200 children facing education inequities through Room to Read’s programs that support literacy and gender equality.

To mark its 25th anniversary year, Room to Read recognized supporters who have played a pivotal role in the growth of the organization, as it has benefited more than 50 million children and invested more than US$1 billion into global education. The event honored Room to Read’s partners in the finance industry for their contributions over the years, with a tribute to Goldman Sachs for investing more than $27 million in education outcomes through its long-term partnership with Room to Read. Headliner Salt-N-Pepa, the legendary female group that revolutionized hip-hop and is a recently announced inductee into the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, performed during the event.

In her remarks, Room to Read CEO Dr. Geetha Murali said, “Room to Read has worked across 28 countries and benefited 50 million children through one singular focus: foundational learning. Foundational learning means literacy that sticks, and confidence that grows. Through trained teachers, joyful books, safe learning spaces, and life skills like leadership and decision-making especially for girls. These tools don’t just change report cards; more vitally, they change fates.”

The event was hosted by Room to Read’s North America Regional Board and members of Room to Read’s Global Board of Directors with other Regional Boards members from around the world also in attendance. Speakers included Dr. Geetha Murali, Room to Read CEO; Sonny Kalsi, co-CEO of BentallGreenOak; Scott Kapnick, CEO, HPS Investment Partners; Asahi Pompey, Global Head of the Office of Corporate Engagement and Chair of the Urban Investment Group, Goldman Sachs; John Lindfors, Co-founder and Managing Parner, DST Global; Kiara Nirghin, Room to Read ambassador, technologist, entrepreneur and author; Collins Munene, Regional Director for Africa, Room to Read; and John Ridding, CEO, Financial Times.