“Ragtime” actress Ta’ Nika Gibson chatted on the red carpet of the 30th annual You Gotta Believe GALA, which took place at Gustavino’s in New York City.
Gibson hosted the GALA event, and Jennifer Pinder serves as the executive director.
You Gotta Believe, the New York City-based, national organization that specializes in finding permanent families for young adults, teens, and pre-teens in foster care.
“It feels incredible to be here,” Gibson exclaimed. “What an honor! I am so excited, as well as to honor Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley who have given so much to this organization, and to spread more awareness of You Gotta Believe.”
“I hope we are able to find families for older foster kids… that just means the world to me,” she added.
Gibson on being a part of the the digital age
“It does feel kind of crazy, but also the fact that we can Livestream this event and reach so many more people… to have that much more outreach is just incredible, so what a blessing to be a part of the digital age,” she acknowledged.
Gibson’s advice for hopefuls who wish to pursue a career in entertainment
For hopefuls that wish to go into the entertainment industry professionally, Gibson said, “Keep working hard, stay humble, be kind and be grateful and you will make it.”
Gibson defines success
Regarding her definition of success, Gibson said, “Success means touching and impacting everyone that you come in touch around you.”
“It doesn’t mean that your name is in lights — sometimes your name will be in lights but sometimes, you will be catering at the end of the day — that to me doesn’t mean success,” she elaborated.
“Success means having impact on the people I’m standing in front of,” she added.
Gibson on You Gotta Believe
Gibson expressed, “I would love if we could reach someone to inspire them to do adopt a kid, to foster a kid, or to give back to the organization to help other families come together, and build families out of adoption and child care… that is all that we can ask for.”
Jennifer Pinder — Executive Director of You Gotta Believe
“It’s truly wonderful to be in this room, surrounded by so many people who believe so deeply in the power of family,” Pinder said in her opening speech at the GALA. “Especially on this day, as we kicked off Foster Care Awareness Month.”
“To our staff, our extraordinary, tireless, deeply compassionate team, thank you. This work is not easy. It asks so much of you and yet, day after day, you show up with heart, determination, and with an unwavering belief in every young person and family we serve.”
“To those who have opened their hearts and their homes, thank you. You’re the reason this mission lives and breathes. This work is not just professional for me. It’s deeply personal,” Pinder explained.
“Like Ta’Nika, my connection to adoption is a huge part of who I am. I understand in a very real way the complexity of what it means to be connected to family. Shout out to my mom and dad in the house tonight,” she expressed.
“I also understand the power of what happens when that connection is made. That moment when a family becomes permanent is everything. And you gotta believe this is what we do.
“We walk alongside young people who have been waiting, often for years, and we refuse to accept that they will age out of foster care alone, without a family. We believe, without hesitation, that every young person deserves someone who will be there for life. Not just for a moment, not just for a milestone, but forever,” Pinder elaborated.
“Over the past 30 years, that belief has changed lives. Hundreds of young people who once faced aging out of foster care alone now have families who celebrate their birthdays, who show up for their graduations, who answer the phone, no matter what time it is. That is permanency,” she expanded.
“That is what we’re celebrating tonight,” she admitted. “As we celebrate, we also look ahead because there are still too many young people waiting and so our work continues.”
“We are committed to reaching more young people, to finding more families, to strengthening and supporting those families for the long term and to making sure that the idea of aging out of foster care alone becomes something of the past,” she said.
“I invite you to continue this journey with us because the next 30 years depend on what we do together, starting now,” she concluded.
To learn more about the New York nonprofit organization You Gotta Believe, visit its official homepage and follow its Instagram page.
Please Note: This journalist was credentialed to cover the 2026 You Gotta Believe red carpet in New York as a member of the media/press.
