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The Winchester College Chapel Choir from Great Britain performs "The Immigrant's Song" at the 2008 Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards. |
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| Last week in the historic Great Hall on Ellis Island three esteemed individuals and a renowned family were honored by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. for their contributions to the American Experience.
The 7th Annual Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards, given annually to a select number of Port of New York and Ellis Island immigrants or their descendants, were presented at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum by Lee A. Iacocca, Founding Chairman of the Foundation, in a ceremony hosted by Lynn Sherr of ABC News. |
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| The 2008 honorees were: Mary Higgins Clark bestselling suspense writer who has sold over 85 million books in the U.S. alone and credits her Irish heritage for her storytelling talent. Her father came from Ireland in 1906 The Forbes Family –“Forbes,” the oldest of the nation’s major business magazines, was founded in 1917 by Scottish immigrant B.C. Forbes, who arrived in America in 1904. His descendants continue to manage Forbes Media Inc., a privately held company which publishes “Forbes” in eight foreign languages, reaching five million readers worldwide. Donna E. Shalala –President, University of Miami, Dr. Shalala has more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator. Under President Clinton, she served eight years as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history. Her paternal grandfather came from Lebanon in 1900. Mel Brooks –Director, producer, writer and actor, Mel Brooks has created many comedy film classics as well as the popular television show “Get Smart.” His latest project is “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein” currently playing on Broadway. His father emigrated from Austria as a child in 1896. |
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The Winchester College Chapel Choir from Great Britain performs "God Bless America." |
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| In presenting the awards, Lee A. Iacocca said, “Each and every one of these honorees—these sons and daughters of Ellis Island—represents what I admire most about Americans: the drive to succeed, even in the face of adversity, the leadership and creativity to forge their way.” The Ellis Island honorees received a framed copy of the original ship’s passenger manifest documenting the arrival of their family in America, obtained from the database of the American Family Immigration History Center® at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and online at www.ellisisland.org [1]. The database contains the arrival records of the more than 25 million people who entered through the Port of New York and Ellis Island from 1892-1924. Forty percent of Americans have family immigration records in this database. |
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| The Children’s Storefront, a non-profit tuition-free school in Harlem hosted its 4th Annual Harlem Luncheon at the Church of All Saints. This year’s keynote speaker was Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF).
Marian Wright Edelman has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. She is a lawyer, educator, activist, reformer and was the first African American woman admitted to the Mississippi state bar. Under her leadership CDF has become the nation’s strongest voice for children and families. Ms. Wright also serves on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation. Holly Peterson is the author of the topselling novel “The Manny” as well as an Emmy award-winning producer at ABC News. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar and Newsweek, where she is now a contributing editor. |
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The Children's Storefront Gospel Choir |
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| The Children’s Storefront serves 170 preschool through eighth grade students. Now in its 42nd year, it is strongly committed to helping children who face tremendous obstacles in pursuit of their education. |
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| Two weeks ago Sunday at the Beacon Theater, Harry Slatkin, President of Slatkin & Co., was feted for his generous support of Autism education programs at Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education.”
As the premiere sponsor, Slatkin provided stars, including the evening’s host Jon Stewart, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and others with a relaxing retreat to use as their Green Room, transforming nearby Citrus Bar & Grill’s private room into “Slatkin’s Sanctuary,” with tropical scented candles from his new Bath and Body Works fragrance collection, island-inspired cocktails, and decorative flora where the comedians could retreat to for relaxation and refreshment. Slatkin & Co. donated $100,000 to this important cause, and the on-air charity special raised over $3 million. Performers who raised money to help ease the severe shortage of effective schools and education programs for autistic children include Fred Armisen, Will Arnett, Matthew Broderick, Tom Brokaw, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Senator Christopher Dodd, Susie Essman, Will Ferrell, Fey, Will Forte, Kelsey Grammer, Gonal Hill, Kevin James, Maroon 5, Megan Mullally, Conan O’Brien, Rosie O’Donnell, Amy Poeler, Sandler, Susan Sarandon, Silverman, Ben Stiller, and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. All funds raised support educational facilities that have recently opened or are about to open their doors, along with those already well-established model schools that are now developing innovative programs to provide vocational and life skills for adults with autism. Proceeds will also support outreach programs that provide training and consultation to families of very young children in their homes. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks, the nation’s leading autism advocacy group. |
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| Founders of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, Vicki and Fred Modell honored President of Related Companies Jeff Blau with the “Man of the Year” award at their 22nd Annual Spring Ahead Gala. The “Country Fair” themed gala, held at Cipriani 42nd Street, raised a record breaking $2 million for Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) research. The last $100 thousand was raised from the stage by Mr. Blau, who sparked spontaneous donations when he declared he would match anyone in the crowd who would help him meet his promised fundraising goal.
Vicki and Fred Modell established the Jeffrey Modell Foundation in memory of their son Jeffrey, who died from complications of a Primary Immunodeficiency at the age of 15. JMF is a multi-faceted global nonprofit foundation devoted to the early and precise diagnosis, meaningful treatments, and ultimately cures of PI, and is focused on physician education, public awareness, and clinical and basic research to better understand and treat these Immunodeficiencies. |
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| Scenes from The “Country Fair” at Cipriani 42nd Street. |
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| The Starlight Experience orchestra set an upbeat tempo and Pat Cannon’s Foot and Fiddle Dance Company got guests out of their seats and onto the dance floor with an old-fashioned square dance call. PI families and patients danced alongside real estate titans and medical professionals in support of the Foundation, which has grown to a global organization with 38 centers worldwide. PI survivors Emma Bozarth, Charlie Fladhammer and Celina Frelinghuysen were on hand to sign copies of their books, published by Baxter Healthcare, which tell the story of their struggles with PI. Guests included Jill and Bobby Zarin, Lisa Blau, Stephen Ross, Martin Edelman, Wendy Levine and Jonathan Mechanic, Bruce Beal, Dr. Katherine Beal, Michael Boxer, Gioia Frelinghuysen, Madaleine Berley and Arnold Penner, Stephen Fisher, David Greenbaum, Robert Ivanhoe, Mitchell Konsker, Martin Kravet, Jennifer Rosenthal and Jeffrey Ganz, Allyson and Phillip “Tod” Waterman III, Ashley Karpf, Kimberly Karpf, Bruce Menin, Bruce Mosler, Lisa and Bill Wexler, Richard Ruben, Stephen Siegel, and Celine Pinto. |
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| Photographs by Diane Bondareff (The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation); Gerald Schultz (Children's Storefront); ©Patrick McMullan.com (Modell). | Click here [8] for NYSD Contents |