NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Good Shepherd Services (GSS) this Saturday hosted its epic, late-night biennial fundraising event, Compass–sponsored by Element Capital Management—for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Compass is an all-night, immersive, mind-bending, and highly competitive puzzle hunt across New York City that brings together the brightest minds in finance, consulting, and technology to solve meticulously designed and elaborate puzzles.
“We are thrilled to bring back Compass, one of New York City’s most exciting and anticipated fundraising events, for the first time since the pandemic,” said Michelle Yanche, Executive Director of Good Shepherd Services. “Good Shepherd’s programming has become even more vital to our youngest New Yorkers as they face a host of new social and economic hurdles to success caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are so grateful to our sponsoring partner, Element Capital, and all the participating teams and individuals who stepped up to show their commitment to supporting the youth we serve, as we continue to navigate the pandemic and its challenges.”
Oren Eisner, President of the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, stated, “We are so grateful to the entire team at Good Shepherd Services for the incredible work they do on behalf of New York children and youth. We are honored to partner with them.”
This year’s presenting sponsor Element Capital has donated $250,000 to the event, to support LifeLink, a GSS program which helps young people transition from high school to college at City University of New York (CUNY) schools. Thanks to Element Capital, 100% of all donations raised through Compass will directly support Good Shepherd programs.
In addition to Element Capital, teams from many of New York City’s powerhouse business, consulting, and finance firms competed in the all-night, highly competitive scavenger hunt across the City - including Barclays, Element Capital, SECOR, J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas, and PDT Partners. Special thanks to Goldman Sachs who once again entered the most teams to compete in the hunt.
Competing teams scoured New York City throughout the night to hunt down, analyze, unravel, decipher, and ultimately solve a series of highly elaborate, unique, and camouflaged puzzles. Good Shepherd worked with the original team who created Compass as well as industry-leading production company, Gotham Immersive Labs, the minds behind the acclaimed “Great Gotham Challenge,” to design the challenges. The race kicked off in Hudson Yards and took participants to iconic locations including the Museum of Art and Design and Central Park.
24 teams registered to compete in total with each team donating $30,000 and some individuals donating $5,000 each to participate. In sum, Compass 2021 raised $1,022,000 for Good Shepherd Programs. SECOR’s Midnight Marauders ultimately won the competition crossing the finish line at approximately 1:54 am--giving them bragging rights for the next two years.
About Good Shepherd Services
Good Shepherd Services goes where children, youth, and families face the greatest challenges and provides resources that build on their inherent strengths to help them thrive. Good Shepherd operates over 80 programs which help nearly 30,000 youth and family members in struggling neighborhoods throughout New York City. All programs are united by a common goal – to create opportunities that help our participants succeed at school, at home, and in their community.
