Brooklyn’s Tod Mann honored at ‘A Taste of Hope’

May 19, 2014 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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The Hope Program held its third annual fundraising and celebratory event, called “A Taste of Hope” Thursday evening, honoring board leader Tod Mann for his 22 years of dedicated work with the group. Also honored was Arden Johnson, a recent graduate of the program. The event took place in Manhattan at the Steelcase WorkLife Center overlooking Columbus Circle.

A retired Wall Street exec, Mann is known for selfless dedication to any cause he adopts. Hope clearly has considered itself lucky to have attracted Mann’s interest 22 years ago.

“We had to twist Tod’s arm to get him to accept this award, but we really couldn’t find anyone more deserving,” said Paul Neuman, chairman of the Hope Program. “I can’t tell you how important it is to have people like Tod who can hand the reigns off, model behavior, model leadership and allow younger board members to grow into the position.”

The Hope Program works to take addicts, felons and the poor and gives them the skills they need to find and keep a job. Over the last three years, 71 percent of Hope graduates have secured a job and 73 percent of those people have been able to retain their jobs for at least one year.

Mann has worked with Hope for the past 22 years, during which time he served as the board chair and treasurer. He also served on the Development Committee and as Chair of the Investment Committee. Mann has also helped by providing mock interviews and participating in employer panels.

“Anytime I interact with Hope students I’m reminded of the opportunities that I’ve had in my life and the limited choices that most of our students have had, or had imposed on them, many of them really bad,” Mann said upon accepting his award. “The Hope students who have persevered have decided that their dreams are valid and the best word I can use to describe them is brave.”

The event included food and drinks for many of its sponsors including a few that have provided jobs or internships to Hope students including Li-Lac Chocolate, Chelsea Market Baskets, Butterbeans and Brooklyn Seltzer Boys. Silent auctions to raise money for the group were also conducted.

“Before we walked in the door tonight we have exceeded last year’s goal by over $50,000 and I suspect it’s going to be even better,” Neuman said. “I would like to point out that 98 cents out of every dollar goes toward programs. Is there another benefit that you will attend that can say that? I don’t think so.”

Arden Johnson, a Bed-Stuy resident for his entire life, was honored as the most recent graduate. Johnson was arrested in high school just before he graduated on an armed robbery charge. While serving time he became addicted to drugs. Now 51, he had spent most of his life addicted to cocaine and routinely shoplifted to support his habit. He said that he was skeptical when he started with Hope, but now he has a full-time job with benefits and his family is speaking with him again for the first time in years.

“I went to so many programs trying to do everything right and they didn’t work,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think this would work either, but I still went anyway. Hope went the whole nine yards to help me get a job. They taught me how to use a computer, how to write a resume and taught me how to act during an interview.”

Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito was also at the benefit. DiSpirito is not a graduate of Hope, but explained that he supports it because groups like Hope have helped him to turn his own life around.

“I grew up in a community where I was destined to become a convict, a felon or an addict and it was thanks to people like the people that run Hope who reached out to me and transformed my hopelessness to hopefulness,” DiSpirito said. “I found that the ability to transform is the key to success in my career. The ability to change your outlook on something is one of the powers that I see in the Hope programs.”

DiSpirito didn’t cook anything, but those interested in volunteering with the group may want to start soon—because he promised to cook at next year’s event. “I’m sorry for not having cooked a thing tonight. I guess I owe you all a dinner party,” he said.