Brooklyn, NY – CASES was named a Finalist in the Cerini & Associates Social Impact category in the 5th Annual NYC Imagine Awards. The NYC Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgment to some of NYC metro’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. The 5th Annual NYC Imagine Awards nonprofit competition will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at Guastavino’s, 409 E. 59th St., NY, NY.
Nearly 250 applications were submitted for consideration in 6 categories, including Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, Arts & Culture and DEIA. CASES is one of four finalists in the Social Impact category. The winners receive $5,000 and will be announced LIVE at the event.
CASES serves over 10,000 New Yorkers every year through alternative-to-incarceration, behavioral health, and education and employment services. Additionally, CASES diverts over 8,000 New Yorkers annually from bail, jail and prison to community-based treatment programs. “It is an honor to be recognized by the Imagine Awards as a Social Impact finalist. Our staff bring so much compassion and dedication to this work, helping New Yorkers successfully navigate such difficult and complex situations—I’m thrilled to see our team being celebrated in this way,” said CASES CEO, Jonathan McLean.
Finalists were chosen by NYC business and nonprofit professionals during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards’ Distinguished Judging Panel selected the NYC Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging.
“The Imagine Awards honors the best of the best, so being named an Imagine Award finalist is a big deal,” said NYC Imagine Awards founder Ken Cerini of Cerini & Associates, LLP. “All of the finalists are incredible with extremely effective, innovative, and impactful operations … they are truly making a difference for all of us.”
Details about NYC Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at https://nycimagineawards.org/
About CASES
At CASES, we believe that New York City’s most deeply rooted problems—including poverty, homelessness and untreated mental illness—can be solved by supporting people, not jailing them. We do what prisons cannot: restoring hope by providing real opportunities for healing, growth and long-term success in the community. By offering accountability and care instead of punishment, we help prevent and break cycles of arrest and incarceration.
About the Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 on Long Island by Ken Cerini, Managing Partner of Cerini & Associates, LLP. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Imagine Awards recognize outstanding performances in the Community. 2025 will represent the 5th Annual event in NYC. To learn more about the NYC Imagine Awards, visit www.NYCimagineawards.org.
Sponsors of the Imagine Awards: Titanium Sponsor Webster Bank, Platinum Sponsor Alliant, Cerini and Associates, LLP, The Claire Freidlander Family Foundation, OneGroup, and Your Part Time Controller.
