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Outreach, Conservation, and Prevention

The Audubon New York 2008 Thomas W. Keesee, Jr. Conservation Award Luncheon at The Rainbow Room.

Last week over at The Lotos Club, they held a cocktail reception celebrating the work of Grace Outreach. Grace Outreach fills a critical community need in the South Bronx by providing low-income women a path to strengthening their academic skills, pursuing college, or employment training, and finding good-paying jobs.

Through its unique program of education, coaching and mentoring, Grace Outreach helps women – most of whom have children – to acquire the skills and confidence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. Since 2005, over 330 women have earned their high school equivalency diploma and are attending college, completing training, and have secured new and better jobs.

Elizabeth Mayhew and Vicki Folley

Brooks Hamblet, Alyssa Bliss-Greenberg, Dr. P. David O’Halloran, and Begona Santos

Kate and Alex Donner

Cathie Black and Michelle Smith

Mara Lehrman, Gina Bartlett, and Carole Divet-Harting

Kelley Millet, Erica Millet, Maria Gallegos, and Ivan Gallegos

Karen Klopp and Margaret Grace

John and Heather Sargent

Anne Black, Margaret Grace, and Cathie Black

Kristen Grace, Joe Grace, and Sara Rodriguez

Alyssa Moeder, Melissa Rice, and Stephanie Finch

Alicia Bouzan-Cordon, Brian and Catherine Carey, and Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD

Holly Kelly and Alexandra McBride

The New-York Historical society hosted a reception to celebrate the publication of Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860 – 1861 by Harold Holzer, one of the most eminent Lincoln scholars, winner of a Lincoln Prize for his Lincoln at Cooper Union and Chief Historian for the Society’s 2009 Lincoln and New York exhibition.

Bernard Schwartz and Nancy Newcomb

/Harold Holzer with Cristyne and Joe Lategano

Harold Holzer, Richard Dreyfuss, and Louise Mirrer

Dale Gregory and Barnet Schecter

Harold Holzer and William Leurs

Harold Holzer with William and Fay Shutzer

Louise Mirrer, Barbara Paddock, and friend

Micah Lasher and Tom Schuler

Patti Calabrese and Emily Rafferty

Susan Crow and Tony Bennett with Harold and Edith Holzer

Tony Bennett, Susan Crow, and Joyce Cowin

Richard Gilder and Harold Holzer

Richard Dreyfuss and Joseph Garrera

Peter and Phillip Kunhardt

Audubon New York honored former Governor George Pataki with the Thomas W. Keesee Award at the annual Conservation Award Luncheon on November 5, at the Rainbow Room.

During his tenure as New York Governor (1995-2006), Mr. Pataki advanced many cutting-edge policies in conservation. He was instrumental in conserving important habitat across the state, and was a vital advocate for cleaning up the Hudson River, and pushed for stricter environmental regulations and penalties.

Mr. Pataki also created the first in the Nation Bird Conservation Area (BCA) initiative, based on Audubon's Important Bird Areas program. This program uses scientific criteria to safeguard bird populations and manage their habitats. The Pataki administration designated 48 BCAs in the state, covering more than 50,000 acres.


	George Pataki and Bernadette Castro

“George Pataki will be remembered for many things, but for Audubon, he will be remember as the Governor who focused on protecting birds, other wildlife and their habitats, even in trying economic times,” said Albert E. Caccese, executive Director of Audubon New York.

Mr. Pataki is an avid bird watcher. Upon seeing extinct species mounted at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY, he reflected on the fate of Carolina parakeets and passenger pigeons.

“You just think how lack of foresight resulted in two magnificent endangered species going extinct, and no one will ever see them alive again,” he said. “I wish we had the chance to turn back the clock, but we can't. But what we can do is turn the clock forward and make sure the children of the 21st and 22nd centuries won't experience that kind of disappointment when seeing a red-shouldered hawk, a whippoorwill, or some other species--not in the wild but as a specimen in some museum.”

Peter Berle, President of the National Audubon Society from 1985-1995, died November 1, 2007, but his conservation legacy was honored in memoriam. In his own words, Berle wanted Audubon to be "an effective force for change." In 1991, he spearheaded the innovative renovation of Audubon House on 700 Broadway in New York, considered the first Green building in New York.

Berle’s passion for the outdoors coincided with the rise of the environmental movement in the early 1970s. A lawyer, he founded Berle, Butzel & Kass, one of the first firms in the country devoted to the new field of environmental law. As a member of the State Assembly, he played an important role in the passage of some of New York’s earliest environmental laws. Governor Hugh Carey appointed him Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, where he was involved in the first regulatory actions at the Love Canal chemical dump at Niagara Falls, and where he took a stand against General Electric for polluting the Hudson River with PCBs.


David Miller and Lila Berle

In addition to his efforts to save the Northern Spotted owl, Berle showed unwavering support for the California condor program. During the mid-1980s, when some protested the idea of developing a captive-breeding program, preferring to let the species go extinct “with dignity,” Peter Berle supported the recovery effort. Today there are 301 condors in the world population, up from 23 in 1982.

After leaving Audubon, Berle was appointed by President Clinton to the the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and hosted "The Environment Show,'' a syndicated Public Radio program. Berle was also president of Sky Farm Productions Inc., which produced television programs about the environment. His widow, Lila Berle, and children accepted the Keesee Award at the luncheon.

The luncheon benefits Audubon New York’s statewide programs, including work on two of the honorees legacies: habitat protection in the Adirondacks, and the Bird Conservation Areas program, modeled on Audubon’s Important Bird area program.

Benefit Chairs include Margot Paul Ernst, Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff, and Virginia Stowe.

Audubon New York is dedicated to the protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitats through advocacy, science and education, serving as the state program of the National Audubon Society. www.ny.audubon.org.

Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff and Bob Catell

Adrian Benepe, Louise Mirrer, and John Flicker

Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff, Dave Miller, and Aaron Virgin

Bernadette Castro, Libby Pataki, and Pia Lindstrom

Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff and Oakes Ames

Anne Sidamon-Eristoff, Virginia Stowe, and Bob Perciasepe

12. Jeremy Zuba, Alexander Zagoreos, Jane Alexander, and Ralph Odell

Ambassador Charles Gargano and friend

Mark Gilbertson and Mikel Witte

John Hannan and Margot Paul Ernst

Lucy Waletzky, Ralph Odell, Jane Alexander, and John Adams

Lynette Stark and John Cahill

On Tuesday, November 18, the OCRF Junior Board, in collaboration with Town&Country and Brooks Brothers, hosted an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a live DJ, and shopping at the Brooks Brothers Women's Store in New York City. The evening featured a 15% discount off purchases made during the evening, and 10% of sales were donated to OCRF.

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is dedicated to funding research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer. In support of its mission, they help patients and their loved ones understand the disease and its treatment, and provide outreach programs to raise public awareness. With the ongoing commitment of corporate sponsors and the support of countless individuals, OCRF is the leading independent agency devoted to advancing ovarian cancer research in the United States.

Attendees included Town&Country EIC Pamela Fiori, Claudio Del Vecchio (Chairman and CEO of Brooks Brothers), OCRF Board Members Donna Nadler, Mindy Gray, Robin Zarel, and Junior Board Members Alyssa Barrie, Jamie Brown, Stephanie Ruch, Jamie Harrington, Jamie Blanc, Santo Desaro, Marc Gold, Gerry Gold.

To learn more about OCRF: www.ocrf.org.

Nicole Hostettler

Dana Schiller and Elizabeth Grose

Maribeth Holland

Danny at the bar

Alyssa Barrie, Robin Zarel, Stefanie Ruch, Mindy Gray, Pamela Fiori, and Donna Nadler

Kate Dimmock and William Gibbons

Michele Scanlon

Jamie Harrington and Santo D'Asaro

Alyssa Barrie, Stefanie Ruch, and Jamie Brown

Claudio Del Vecchio, Jamie Brown, and Pamela Fiori

Robin Johnson

Anna Reyes

Jaime Blanc and mom Iris Blanc

Brandel Fyre, Sloane Rhulen, and Michael Flynn

Lyndsay Manning, Jamie Blanc, and Stephanie Ruch

Allison Teiter and Tara Newton

Lisa Gerson and Russ Freyman

Sarah DeFeo and Chandler Wilson

SoBRO held its 36th Anniversary Gala Dinner a week ago Monday and honored several individuals and businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to SoBRO’s mission, including Turner Construction for their commitment to hire local residents.

Co-Chairs Simon Bergson, Chairman of the Board of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and Mark Castle of the Bank of New York, Mellon, along with SoBRO ’s President & CEO Phillip Morrow welcomed several hundred guests to their annual celebration of helping to build a better Bronx.


	School Chancellor Joel Klein

For over three and a half decades, SoBRO has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the South Bronx by strengthening businesses, creating and implementing innovative economic and housing initiatives, and providing quality education and career development programs for youth and adults

Honored at the Gala were several individuals and businesses that have demonstrated a clear commitment to SoBRO’s mission, including: Turner Construction, for their commitment to hiring local residents and so willingly sharing their success with the community; NYC Council Member, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, for her unfaltering support of the community’s shared interests; Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, whose efforts have allowed SoBRO and hundreds of other community organizations to maintain and expand life-changing youth and adult education programs; and Sultana Distribution Services, Brian Gold, CEO, another local business that has demonstrated a strong commitment to the ideals at the core of SoBRO’s mission. A special award was also presented to All star baseball player second baseman Roberto Alomar. His good friend and former Yankees teammate Darryl Strawberry accepted the award on his behalf.

Emcee was Bill Evans, meteorologist at WABC – TV. So impressed was Evans by SoBRO’s work in the Bronz that he donated a special auction prize - a tour of WABC-TV for up to 30 including teachers and chaperones (if a class wins), with the opportunity to sit on the news set and watch the Noon Newscast live, plus one person will get to do the 5-day forecast with Bill when they go out live on location and do the weather.

Phil Morrow, Commissioner Jeanne B Mullgrav, Hilton Smith, Stephanie Burns, Brian Gold, and Simon Bergson

Bill’s pals from WABC-TV were out in full force including co-anchors Lori Stokes and Ken Rosato, fellow meteorologist Jeff Smith and producer Mark Crudele.

Also lending their support were School Chancellor Joel Klein, City Councilman Robert Jackson, Controller Bill Thompson and Congressman Charlie Rangel. The Gala Committee included Stephanie Burns, Jo Ann Hill, Craig Livingston, Blondel Pinnock, Anthony Riccio, Amnon Shalov, Gail and Joel Steinberg, Franklin Weiss, Esq. and Jean Smith.

The evening was also a chance for SoBRO to celebrate a number of success stories in a variety of ways. Students from Evander Childs High School in a special theater arts program performed an excerpt of a from an original musical First Prince of Western High. Samantha Dickson performed a musical interlude. Teens from the Bronx Leadership Academy studying photography showed two short student created films. And Chanel Thornton, a graduate of SoBRO’s Youth Build program was applauded for having overcome a host of issues to graduate from high school.

Phillip Morrow and Bill Thompson

Megan Kaltenbach, Xiomara Hernandez, and Sally Sogue

Stephanie Valdes and Oliver Revez

Ben Bellis, James Everett, Lixan Higgins, Zainab Salawu, and Shanice Williams

Ann Morrow, Jim Salahuddin, and Rise Shuler

Phillip Morrow, Bill Thompson, Hilton Smith, and Stephanie Burns

Amanda Pariser with Neil and Ruth Pariser

Jacqueline Gold and Trevor Bacon

Ed Odom and Mark Castle

Linda and Brian Gold

Eddie Arsis and Lorie Stokes

The Gold family

Ken Glessmen, Mark Milani, Patrick Mulholland, and Craig Ferguson

Mike McCarthy and Allen Roberts

Denise McCarthy and Bill Bessette

Craig Livingston, Joanne Hill, and Michael Callaghan

Ana Smith and Steve Smith

Beth Goldberg, Tony Riccio, and June Eisland

Simon Bergson, William Thompson, Curtis Sliwa, and Jerry Bergson

Phil Morrow, Hilton Smith, Stephanie Burns, and Bill Evans

Phil Morrow, Commissioner Jeanne B Mullgrav, and Bill Evans

Xiomara Hernandez and Ann Morrow

Joannie Guillermo, Kelly Laureano, and Jacqueline Rosa

Simon and Stefany Bergson

Simon Bergson, Congressman Charles Rangel, and Phil Morrow

Darryl Strawberry, Ann and Phil Morrow, and Fitzgerald Miller

Lee Silverberg and June Eisland

Barbara Taylor and Duane Flowers

Jeff Smith and Jen Hansen

First Prince of Western High

John Wegorzewski, Joyce Mullins Jackson, and Edward Callaghan

Last Thursday night at Cinema 2 on Third Avenue and 60th Street, SELF Magazine and Lucy Danziger, Yari Film Group, and Bob Yari held a private screening of “Nothing But the Truth" with Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda, Vera Farmiga, David Schwimmer, Noah Wyle, Floyd Abrams, Dan Abrams. And lots of them were there for the evening including Ms. Beckinsale, the Abramses, Mr. Alda, Miss Farmiga and the writer/director Rod Lurie.