Party Pictures 12/22/03 - Big Brothers Big Sisters, God's Love We Deliver, SLE Lupus Foundation, Sony Style Donghia Dream Room

Big Brothers Big Sister's Workplace Mentoring Program’s holiday celebration

Allan Luks and Felicia Taylor

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC announced the launch of their 100th Anniversary with the Workplace Mentoring Program Holiday celebration at the Sony Plaza Public Arcade. Frank Calabro, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, David Coulter, Vice Chairman, JPMorgan Chase, Jeffrey Goldstein, Managing Director, The World Bank, Richard Holmes, President, American Express Bank, Rob Jones, Vice Chairman, Investment Banking, Morgan Stanley, and Terry Trayvick, President, RR Donnelley were among those in attendance.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring Program is an educational, vocational and cultural activity program created in 1991 that matches volunteers from highly reputable corporations with youths ages 12-17 from local schools. This highly successful “one-to-one” model is a bi-monthly, goal oriented after school program where students are given the opportunity to learn first-hand about the business world.

Front Row: Larry Toal, David Coulter, Kitty Linder, and Rob Jones. Back Row: Richard Holmes, Terry Trayvick, Ed Gardner, and Frank Calabro

The Workplace Mentoring Program benefits everyone from the children, their families, the employee mentors and the corporations. The children who participate are offered the opportunity to receive guidance and support from mentors that will direct them on the road to success and self-sufficiency. The corporations involved agree that not only are they creating healthier communities, but also enhancing their own corporate images, improving teamwork skills and increasing the employee morale. In this time of economic hardship combined with intense competition and the possibility of lay-off, corporate participants have found that giving time for employees to volunteer has increased employee loyalty 72% in 2003.

For the past century, the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City has been to provide mentors to children who need a caring adult role model in their lives – a special friend who can help to expand their horizons and enrich their futures. This non-profit organization has been documented in many studies and continues to remain the flagship agency for more than 500 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies nationwide.

The opening of God's Love We Deliver Holiday Shop at Bergdorf Goodman

Ashley McDermott and Jennifer Creel

Diana Quasha and Cari Modine

Cece Cord

Narciso Rodriguez and Helen Lee Schifter

Christopher Trump and Lisa Burgett

Joan Rivers and Blaine Trump with Mark Badgley and James Mischka

L. to r.: Joan Rivers and Blaine Trump; Catherine and Phyllis Rothman; Maggie Norris.

Photographs by Jimi Celeste/PMc

SLE Lupus Foundation held its gala at the Marriott Marquis

Devra Simon, Martin E. Segal, and Dr. Lee Simon

Harold McGraw III and Nancy McGraw with Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Robert Ravtiz with Kit and Arnold Snider

Last month the SLE Lupus Foundation held its gala at the Marriott Marquis. They honored Nancy and Harold McGraw and presented a Scientific Leadership Award to Dr. Lee Simon. The great Jessye Norman was honorary chair. Mayor Bloomberg attended the cocktail reception as did Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields – only two of 800 who were present and participated in raising $1.6 million for lupus research.

More than 1.5 million Americans suffer from lupus which is a debilitating chronic autoimmune disease and the numbers are on the rise. 90% of lupus sufferers are women.

Other guesets included Paul Williams (who performed), as well as Tony LoBianco, Dennis Basso and Jacques D'Amboise.