On Friday, November 7 at 7:00 PM, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) will celebrate its annual benefit, the RTA Alumni Showcase Gala, at the Irvington Theater (85 Main Street in Irvington, NY) and livestreamed. This event is the organization’s most important fundraiser of the year, making it possible for RTA to continue its groundbreaking work in correctional facilities across New York and California––utilizing the arts to foster transformation, creativity, and second chances for thousands of justice-impacted individuals.
This year, RTA will honor RTA alumnus and justice leader Dario Peña with the Alumnus Award. This award recognizes an RTA alumnus who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in and advocacy for arts and justice. Loeb & Loeb LLP, an international law firm and proud pro bono partner of RTA, will receive the Cornerstone Award, an award that recognizes an organization or business that has been central to RTA’s growth and success.
Peña is the Recruitment and Community Partnerships Manager for Justice Through Code at Columbia University. Peña is a magna cum laude graduate with a Bachelor’s in Behavioral Science from Mercy University and a Master’s in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary. He is a founding member of Voices from Within, an organization that addresses mass incarceration through the voices of individuals directly impacted by the system. He is also a criminal legal system activist and advocate and has served as a mentor to incarcerated young adults. Recently, he played himself in the Oscar-nominated feature film Sing Sing, which is based on the RTA’s theater program inside the Sing Sing maximum security correctional facility in Ossining, New York.
“RTA was the catalyst for every positive change in my life. It didn’t just transform me; it opened the door to a crucial network—including Rising Hope, Hudson Link, and New York Theological Seminary—that fundamentally shifted my mindset and prepared me for everything I’ve accomplished, both while incarcerated and since my release. My deepest honor goes to the entire RTA village: the generous donors, the exceptional teaching artists, the dedicated staff, and my peers, who have become my chosen family. This community forges exceptional human beings through the simple, profound act of believing and investing in us,” said Dario Peña, RTA Alumnus on the meaning of receiving this award.
With offices in the U.S. and Asia, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a trusted partner to clients that include businesses, organizations, families and individuals, helping them protect what’s important; anticipate and adapt to changing legal, business and personal circumstances; innovate; and grow. For more than a century, Loeb & Loeb’s commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism through pro bono service work has benefited organizations, communities, and individuals across the social justice spectrum. Through the Pro Bono Partnership and with the Board Director service of Senior Counsel Brittany Berckes, Loeb & Loeb has moved RTA’s mission forward with even greater influence and effectiveness.
“RTA’s work demonstrates the profound impact the arts can have in creating opportunity, building community and inspiring personal growth. We’re proud to support RTA as it brings the full creative potential of the arts to bear in service of its participants, and we are honored to contribute to such an important mission,” saidSenior Counsel Brittany Berckes, Loeb & Loeb LLP
The mainstage program held at the Irvington Theater will be the centerpiece of the night. It will include an awards presentation with a medley of diverse original performances created and led by RTA alumni artists and advocates whose leadership continues to spark change in communities across the nation. Special ticket levels offer even more ways to connect:
From 6:00 to 7:00 PM, a pre-show reception will be held at Cifone’s Restaurant (6 S Broadway, Irvington). Guests will mingle with RTA artists, supporters, and partners over light bites and refreshments.
From 8:30-11:00 PM, an afterparty celebration will be held once again at Cifone’s Restaurant. Guests will enjoy conversation and connection alongside our community of changemakers.
For the first time in RTA’s Gala history, audiences across the country will experience a professionally produced livestream bringing the magic of the Gala to living rooms everywhere.
RTA’s 2025 Gala comes at a pivotal moment for the organization under the leadership of Jermaine Archer, the first RTA Executive Director to come from the program’s ranks while incarcerated. Looking ahead to the thirtieth anniversary of the organization in 2026, Archer leads RTA into its next chapter.
“The moment to expand the impact of RTA’s arts and reentry programs is now, and more important than ever. I’m energized to build upon the near thirty-year legacy of RTA sustainably and effectively to ensure thousands more incarcerated individuals have access to the life-changing creative resources that led to my own success,” enthused Jermaine Archer, RTA’s Executive Director
To purchase tickets or make a donation in support of the Gala: givebutter.com/rtashowcase
