Safe Harbors Announces September 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Gala

Saturday, September 20 at 5 PM

Honoring Ramona Monteverde & Todd Hulet, 2025 Cornerstones of the Community

Gala will showcase Safe Harbors’ Downtown Newburgh campus, taking place at Ann Street Gallery, Safe Harbors Green, and historic Ritz Theater Stagehouse

NEWBURGH, NEW YORK - Safe Harbors of the Hudson, a Newburgh-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives and building community through housing and the arts, announced that tickets are on sale for its 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Gala, which will take place Saturday, September 20 at 5 pm.

Featuring delicious food and drinks, fresh art and performances, an exclusive silent auction and more, the Silver Jubilee will showcase the breadth of Safe Harbors’ projects with a program spanning the organization’s downtown Newburgh campus: the event will begin with cocktails in the Ann Street Gallery, before moving to Safe Harbors Green for dinner, awards, and performances. The gala will conclude with a special celebration on the stage of the Ritz Theater—welcoming guests back into this historic space for the first time in over 50 years.

Executive Director Lisa Silverstone shared “Safe Harbors was founded in 2000 with the conviction that housing and the arts, when working in tandem, are a powerful catalyst for both personal and community transformation. Over the past 25 years, our organization has proved that belief to be true: redeveloping the former Hotel Newburgh into safe, affordable housing for 128 of our neighbors at the Cornerstone Residence; presenting hundreds of unforgettable exhibitions, performances, and events at Ann Street Gallery and the Lobby at the Ritz; and turning an abandoned lot into the vibrant Safe Harbors Green. Our Silver Jubilee Gala will be an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate these achievements and the many people who have helped to realize them, while setting our ambitions high for our next 25 years of impact in Newburgh.”

The Silver Jubilee Gala will also recognize the recipients of Safe Harbors’ 2025 Cornerstone of the Community Awards: Ramona Monteverde, Safe Harbors’ Founding Director of Operations, and Todd Hulet, Executive Director of the Orange County Arts Council. Given at the gala each year, the Cornerstone of the Community Awards honor the vision, leadership, and hard work of community champions making positive change in Newburgh.

Tickets can be purchased at safe-harbors.org/gala-2025. Gala Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

2025 CORNERSTONES OF THE COMMUNITY

Ramona Monteverde is a second-generation Mexican American, born and raised in the barrios of Orange County, California. Growing up in a working-class family, she witnessed firsthand the inequities and systemic racism that shaped her community. Her mother, who picked potatoes as a child and later worked factory days and cleaned offices at night, instilled in Ramona a fierce sense of justice and perseverance. A lifelong advocate for equity, Ramona believes everyone deserves access to safe housing, clean air and water, a living wage, and equal rights—regardless of race, immigration status, gender identity, or income. She proudly champions LGBTQ+ rights, labor protections, and grassroots democracy.

With over 30 years in supportive housing, Ramona served for 22 years as Director of Operations at Safe Harbors of the Hudson and is a City of Newburgh Councilmember. Her leadership has driven initiatives supporting working families and holding local government accountable. Before holding office, she partnered with Mayor Judy Kennedy to organize Ward-1 cleanups and helped launch Newburgh’s Municipal ID program for undocumented and unhoused residents. She currently serves on the Newburgh Land Bank Board, Hudson Valley Regional Council, and Stewart Air Base Water Advisory Board. Ramona works for a future where equity and dignity are realities for all.

Todd Hulet is Executive Director of the OCNY Arts Council promoting and cultivating the arts and creative practice for Orange County and the surrounding region. He currently serves on the Leadership Orange Board of Directors, Orange County Chamber BIE Committee, Americans for the Arts Membership Committee, and the Board of Directors for TYA/USA: the national organization for professional theater for young people. He was also recently confirmed to the Orange County Human Rights Commission. Prior to his role at the Arts Council, Todd was the Head of Entertainment at LEGOLAND New York where he volunteered as New York representative for the Merlin North America DEI committee. Further previous roles include: Director of Dramatic Arts and Artistic Director of the James Earl Jones Theater at Poughkeepsie Day School, Founding Artistic Director at Hudson Valley Theatre Initiative, and NYC Department of Education Theatre Development Specialist. He is an award-winning theater creative where he has worked with legends including Carole King and Tears for Fears. He has directed and designed more than 100 productions, and, as a composer and playwright, he has penned twelve original full-length works which have been produced across the U.S.

ABOUT SAFE HARBORS OF THE HUDSON 

Founded in 2000, Safe Harbors of the Hudson is a dynamic arts and housing nonprofit located in the City of Newburgh, New York. With the mission of transforming lives and building community through housing and the arts, Safe Harbors plays an integral role in Newburgh’s continuing revitalization through innovative redevelopment projects that co-locate supportive and affordable housing with visual and performing arts spaces and programming. 

Safe Harbors’ initial project began with the purchase of the Hotel Newburgh, a once grand but deteriorating former hotel that had become substandard housing. Safe Harbors transformed the building into a thriving mixed-use redevelopment project, which includes: the 128-unit Cornerstone Residence, which opened in 2006; Ann Street Gallery and the Lobby at the Ritz Theater, which both began programming in 2007; as well as commercial space and artist studio space. In 2015, Safe Harbors further expanded its footprint by acquiring an adjacent vacant lot and redeveloping it into Safe Harbors Green, an all-native, biodiverse urban park at the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street.

Safe Harbors owns, manages, and operates:

•        The Cornerstone Residence, affordable, supportive housing for 128 single adults including those coming from homelessness, veterans, those living with mental health diagnoses and physical disabilities, artists in need of affordable live/work space, and low-income working adults. Safe Harbors operates on-site, providing responsive property management to residents. Residents are also provided with on-site case management from Independent Living.

•         Ann Street Gallery, a professionally curated contemporary art gallery with an annual calendar of exhibits, workshops and events.

•         Safe Harbors Green, a half-acre urban park with a permanent stage and host to a weekly farmers market and a calendar of performing arts, festivals, and community events.

•         The Lobby at the Ritz, a 120-seat black box-style performance venue and community event space.

•         The Ritz Theater Redevelopment, Newburgh’s last remaining historic theater, which Safe Harbors is in the multi-phase process of redeveloping into a flexible-use and state-of-the-art performance and event space.

•         69-79 William Street Development, a new 55-unit affordable housing residence in development.

•         Ann Street Studios, eight studios provided free for working artists living in the Cornerstone Residence, and available for affordable rent to artists from the surrounding community.

•         Commercial Rental Space, currently occupied by Baristas on Broadway (formerly 2 Alices) and GRIT Works, a co-working space and gallery.

Through its arts and community programming, Safe Harbors strives to be a vibrant hub of creative expression that contributes to our community’s sense of identity, pride of place, and quality of life, while serving as a catalyst for further positive growth. For more information, visit safe-harbors.org