Newburgh philanthropist and entrepreneur William Kaplan celebrated his 96th birthday surrounded by Newburgh children and families and his own family and friends on Saturday, October 28 at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.

“Mr. Kaplan is an incredible man with an ability to get a lot of things done. And through his vision, he has unified the City of Newburgh and helped with your education,” said Martin Milano

“I would describe him as passionate and consistent and a real force to be reckoned with. He made an incredible change,” said Janet Rodriguez. “Fourteen years ago, if somebody would have told me that parents would want to bring their children out every single Saturday, I would have thought they were crazy. And they do and you see the outcomes on the children and families’ faces every single Saturday.”

“Mr. Kaplan is Mr. Newburgh. If you go around the city and take a tour, you’ll see his name on our buildings, hospitals and recreation centers and everything else. But this [NAUC] has been his, I think he would agree with you this has been his, his favorite project, his favorite giving opportunity and it’s a place where kids know what Kaplan means,” said Jim DelViscio. “This is a place where a lot of people know him personally, you know what it means and that’s important to him.”

“Mr. Kaplan is a loving man. He loves the city so much. We have personal meetings at his house and all he talks about is Newburgh and the armory and all the things he’s done. This is his baby,” said Coach Harold Rayford. “This is the most important thing to him.”

Prior to the birthday celebration, students were asked to write birthday cards for Kaplan and listened to him as he shared his thanks for the children and parents who were present. After all words were said, the Armory community joined together and sang Happy Birthday to Kaplan. Families enjoyed cupcakes and goody bags with a bouncy house set up outside for kids to enjoy after the celebration.