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Alicia Pierro (L), Executive
Director, and Tom Lewis, Board Chair (R). Photo courtesy of Jerry Ruotolo for Big Apple Greeter.
Greetings!
Thank you to our many friends
whose contributions and grants will help make 2010 a
successful year for Big Apple Greeter. More than helping
us to continue our unique services, your generosity
tells us that we're doing a good job and encourages us
to move forward with renewed energy.
Liquidnet
Grant
Big Apple Greeter has earned a $10,000
grant from Liquidnet
. We were among the top 10
New York nonprofits selected in the company's Local
Impact Challenge, which donates funds to organizations
that strengthen local New York communities.
Volunteer greeter and Liquidnet employee
Todd Cherches nominated us, and you voted to place us
among the winners.
Thank you, Todd,
Liquidnet, and everyone who voted for us!
2009
Year-End Campaign
Our supporters also contributed
over $10,000 through our year-end campaign, double the
amount received in 2008, with 250 first-time
contributors.
To all the individuals, companies
and foundations that have helped us throughout the year,
we offer our deepest thanks.
We are pleased to
announce that Big Apple Greeter's FY'08-'09 annual
report is available for review at:
http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/05-support_big_apple/03-annual_report.html
Please
keep in touch with us on Facebook
and Twitter,
and pass on the good
word.
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Big
Apple Greeter
One
Centre Street
New York, NY 10007
Office
212-669-2896
Fax 212-669-3685
TTY 212-669-8273
pr@bigapplegreeter.org
Website
www.bigapplegreeter.org
Founder
Lynn Brooks Executive Director
Alicia Pierro
Director of Programs
& Volunteers
Gail Morse
Director of
Development
Elizabeth Holmes Special Events Coordinator/Database Administrator
Alison Brooks
Office Manager and IT Administrator
Jennifer Smith
Editor
Lee
Frankel
Technical
Editor
Lisa Schultze
Writers & Contributors
Alison Brooks
Lee
Frankel
Loraine Heller
Elizabeth Holmes
Jack Olive
Sally Rose
Photographers
Lynn Brooks
Elizabeth Holmes
Jerry Ruotolo
Support provided by: The Rudin Foundation, Inc.
BIG APPLE GREETER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As of 12/14/2009
Chair* - Thomas G.
Lewis, President, Gray Line New York Sightseeing
Vice Chair* - Louise Morman, Executive
Coach, Management Consultant, Eldercare Advocate
Treasurer* - Kenneth Smith, CPA, Partner,
Eisner LLP Accountants and Advisors
Founder* - Lynn Brooks,
Big Apple Greeter
Executive Director* - Alicia Pierro,
Big Apple Greeter
Barbara Bailey - Assistant Director of
Communications, Workers of America Local 1180's Retiree
Division (Retired)
Kamal Bhatia, CFA - Managing Director
& Head of Asset Management Products, TIAA-CREFF Asset Management
Garrett R. Bowden
Christopher P. Boylan* - Deputy Executive
Director, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Chairman Emeritus)
Patty Clark - Sr. Advisor to the Aviation
Director for External Affairs, The Port Authority of New York
& New Jersey
Patrick W. Condren - President, Patcon Associates, Ltd.
Kelly Ann Curtin - Senior Vice President,
Membership,
NYC & Company
Matthew Daus - Commissioner, New York
City Taxi & Limousine Commission
Merrie L. Davis - President &
Publisher, MVP|NY
Douglas Durst - President, The Durst Organization
Don Eugene* - Senior Officer, R.H. Macy
& Co., Inc. (Retired); Callydus Group LLC
Jill Groce - General Manager, JCPenney Manhattan Mall
Peter Kohlmann - Founder, PeKo Creative
Jeffrey Lam - Managing Member, Lam Generation, LLC
Diane McNulty - Director of Community
Affairs, The
New York Times
Cristyne L. Nicholas* - CEO, Nicholas
& Lence Communications, LLC
David Rothfeld, Esq.* - Partner, Kane Kessler, P.C.
John J. Ruzich, OBE* - President &
CEO, The
TIMM Group, LLC
Stephen Schnall* - Regional Sales Manager, Optaros
Joseph E. Spinnato - President, Hotel
Association of New
York City, Inc.
Steve Swenson - Vice President &
General Manager of 1010
WINS and WCBSAM
Vincent J. Tabone - Attorney at Law, Law
Office of
Vincent J. Tabone
Barbara M. Tomanelli - Executive
Assistant to Vice President, MetLife (Retired); Greeter Representative
Markly Wilson - Director, International
Marketing, New York State Division of Tourism
James H. Yates
Chairman Emeritus - Joel L. Epstein,
Chairman & CEO, AIG Consumer Finance (Retired)
Honorary Lifetime Member - Elizabeth A.
Baltz, Global Business Development & Management
Honorary Lifetime Member - Horace Webb,
Senior Vice President Public Affairs, Con Edison (Retired)
Honorary Lifetime Member - Paul Insalaco*
- President, BF9 Media (Immediate Past Chair)
Ex-Officio Members
Hon. Michael R.
Bloomberg, Mayor of the City
of New York
Hon. Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Borough President
Hon. Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President
Hon. Helen M. Marshall, Queens Borough President
Hon. James P. Molinaro, Staten Island
Borough President
Hon. Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough
President
Executive Committee*
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Late Winter/Early
Spring Update
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Celebrate New York 2009
The annual fall benefit lived up to its name as Big Apple Greeter welcomed and thanked those who helped make 2009 a successful year. [Read
more] |
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Please
Send Us Your Photos And Thoughts
Send
us
a photo of you and your companions that shows you
with your Greeter while you were out on a visit, and
tell us about your experience.
[Read
more]
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Greeters For A Day Offer Inside View
Follow Deputy
Mayor Robert C. Lieber and David McManus, general manager of the Affinia Shelburne on visits they lead in NYC. [Read
more]
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Volunteer Greeters Explore New Horizons
Volunteer
greeters often meet to visit new neighborhoods and enjoy
the city they call home. Recently, they went on two
outings . [Read More]
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 "Fan" Mail: Greeters & Visitors Share Their Thoughts
Great notes we've received from our Greeters and our "fans," also known as visitors, who felt it was important to recognize the talents of their Greeter. [Read more] |
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Read
New Neighborhood Information Profiles
Looking for free information
on New York City neighborhoods? See what's new and updated on our Neighborhood Information profile web page. [Read more]
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Celebrate NY 2009 Honoree's Daniel Beiderman, Christine Quinn, and Dominic Chianese. Photos courtesy of Jerry Ruotolo for Big Apple Greeter.
Celebrate New York 2009
2009 Annual Benefit Caps a Fine
Year
Celebrate
New York 2009, the annual fall benefit, lived up to its
name as Big Apple Greeter welcomed and thanked those who
helped make 2009 a successful year.
The grand evening deftly combined
fund-raising, auctions and a cocktail party with the joy of
the holiday season and the elegance of The Russian Tea Room's
Bear Ballroom. Starburst chandeliers on the 20-foot-high
ceiling, flaming red carpet, lush drapery, a stuffed moose
head, and dancing bears etched on sparkling mirrors faithfully
reflected the romance of imperial Russia. Add to this the
energy of Big Apple Greeter's loyal supporters in the
nonprofit, government, corporate and travel sectors, plus many
volunteers, and you have an occasion truly described as
"grand."
The evening opened with words of welcome
from Thomas G. Lewis, chairman of Big Apple Greeter's Board of
Directors and president of Gray Line New York Sightseeing.
Julie
Chang, entertainment reporter for Fox 5 New York, took the
microphone to moderate the live auction, whose three prizes,
aptly valued as "priceless," offered winners an insider's
visit to Arthur Avenue with actor Dominic Chianese, Koreatown
with football legend Tiki Barber, and Josephine Baker's
Harlem, with Josephine's son, Jean-Claude Baker.
Following the live auction, Brooklyn
Borough President and Honorary Benefit Chairman Marty
Markowitz spoke glowingly of the volunteer greeters who offer
visitors a truly unforgettable day in the city. Next, Benefit
Chairman Peter M. Meyer, president of TD Bank's New York City
Market, expressed pride in his association with the Big Apple
Greeter.
Throughout the evening, a silent auction
drew bidders hoping to win a range of prizes, from quick
getaways in New York City, to vacation travel in the U.S. and
Europe. Valuable works of art were also on offer.
Community
Leaders Honored
Prominent
individuals were honored for their contributions to the
city.
Describing Speaker of the New York City
Council Christine Quinn as "someone who made a difference to
New York City," Matthew W. Daus, commissioner of the Taxi and
Limousine Commission and Big Apple Greeter board member,
presented Quinn with the Public Service Award.
Patrick W. Condren, president of Patcon
Associates, Ltd. and Big Apple Greeter board member, presented
the Urban Vision Award to Daniel A. Biederman, president of
the 34th Street Partnership and Bryant Park Partnership.
Accepting the award, Biederman cited tourism as key to the
city's economy, and lauded Big Apple Greeter's contribution in
sustaining the industry in the current economic
downturn.
The final honoree of the evening, singer
and actor Dominic Chianese, accepted the Tourism Ambassador
Award from Cristyne L. Nicholas, CEO of Nicholas & Lence
Communications, LLC and Big Apple Greeter board member.
Nicholas highlighted Chianese's love of New York, deeply
rooted in his grandfather's arrival from Italy in 1904. Having
served as Greeter for a Day, Chianese expressed pride in
giving back to the city that has been his family's home for
more than a century.
Compliments
and Joy Sum It Up
Among notables in the crowd was City
Council Member Daniel Garodnick, who called Big Apple Greeter
"a tremendous asset to New York City, giving visitors a bit of
local flavor, a personal look at the many great things New
York has to offer."
With
its special guests, and
holiday mood, Celebrate New York
2009 unfolded somewhat like a Russian novel filled with
passion, beauty, pleasure, history, loyal relationships,
overflowing plates, clinking glasses, and gentle, sentimental
music. It was a night for coming in out of the Siberian cold
to toast a great organization in a great city. Na z'darovya, Big Apple Greeter! To your good health!
-- written
by Loraine Heller with Lee
Frankel
We thank the following organizations and
individuals who supported the benefit and the fundraising
auctions with their generous donations.
Event
Sponsors
42nd
Street Development Corp.
CWA
Local 1180
Anne
M. Davis
The
Durst Organization
Eisner
LLP
Elmhurst
Dairy/Steuben Foods, Inc.
Don
Eugene
Gateway
Group One
Glenwood
Management Corp./Leonard Litwin
Gray
Line New York Sightseeing
JCPenney
MVP|NY
Newmark
Knight Frank
The
New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council,
AFL-CIO
NYC
& Company
The
Port Authority of New York & New
Jersey
TD
Bank
Diana L. Taylor
Auction/Gift
Bag/Service Donors
Affinia
Chicago
Affinia
Shelburne
American
Airlines Inc.
American
Ballet Theatre
American
Museum of Natural History
Tiki
Barber
Big
Apple Circus
Karen
Bell
Bloomingdale's
Michael
Bougher
Chez
Josephine/Jean-Claude Baker
Dominic
Chianese
Chicago
Office of Tourism
C
House Restaurant
Christina
Stanton Shopping Services
Cookie
Loft
Continental
Airlines, Inc.
Davler
Media Group
Laura
Fantini
The
Glazier Group Inc.
Gray
Line New York Sightseeing
The
Hague Greeters
Hilton
National Sales
JCPenney
Peter
Kohlmann
Loews
Hotels
Madame
Tussauds
Mario's
Restaurant
Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
Mount
Vernon Hotel Museum
Music
Underground (MUNY)/MTA Arts for Transit
MVP/NY
New
York Marriott Marquis
New
York Skyride
New
York Water Taxi
Office
of the Brooklyn Borough President, Marty
Markowitz
The
Ritz Carlton Hotels New York, Battery
Park
Jerry
Ruotolo
Enid
Schwarzbaum
Snug
Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical
Garden
South
Street Seaport Museum
Tiffany
& Co.
The
Village Alliance BID
Albert
Watson
Wildlife
Conservation Society/The Bronx Zoo
Zagat Survey LLC
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Greeter Brad Smith pictured with
visitors in Brooklyn overlooking lower Manhattan.
Send Us Your Photos And Thoughts
We'd
like to hear from you about your visit to New York City.
Please send us a photo of yourself and your greeter in front
of your favorite New York location, and include a few words
about your experience meeting with a real New Yorker. Photos
and quotations may be featured on our website and may also be
included in marketing materials. To respond, please email
development@bigapplegreeter.org.
-- written
by Lee Frankel
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Greeters for a day - Bob Lieber and David McManus.Photos courtesy of Bob Lieber and Lynn Brooks, respectively, for Big Apple Greeter.
Greeters For A Day Offer Inside View
Deputy Mayor Robert C. Lieber, October
2009
Patrick and Joan Godfrey, who live just
outside London, England, never expected to have a top city
official show them around lower Manhattan on their most recent
visit to New York. But, sure enough, when they arrived at
Seven World Trade Center with their volunteer greeter, Karen
Brueckner, on a rainy Tuesday morning in late October, they
found Deputy Mayor Robert C. Lieber and Big Apple Greeter
Founder Lynn Brooks standing by to give them an extra special
greet. Click
here
to read
more.
Affinia Shelburne General Manager David
McManus, December 2009
On a beautiful and clear early December
day, our most recent Greeter for a Day, David McManus, general
manager of the Affinia Shelburne, met with two visitors from
Oklahoma as well as Dan Abatelli, one of Big Apple Greeter's
volunteer greeters. Visitors Perri Applegate and Jack Phillips
definitely got more than they had anticipated when they sent
in their visit request form to Big Apple Greeter. Click
here
to read more.
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Big Apple Greeters learn
about King Manor Museum in Jamaica,
Queens.
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Holmes for Big Apple
Greeter.
Volunteer Greeters Explore New Horizons
Volunteer
greeters often meet to visit new neighborhoods and enjoy the
city they call home. Recently, they went on two outings: to
Jamaica, Queens and to the Washington Heights/Inwood area.
Here's where they went and what they
learned.
The King Manor Museum
On
December 15, 2009, six volunteer greeters visited the King
Manor Museum, an important historic landmark located on an
11-acre New York City park in Jamaica, Queens. The museum was
once the stately manor home and farm of Rufus King, a Founding
Father of the United States. Click here to read more.
Washington Heights-Inwood
Neighborhood
"There is life after 155th St.," joked our
host Dennis Reeder, executive director of the Washington
Heights & Inwood Development Corporation, who then went on
to show greeters how true this is.
The
Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods, combined, stretch
along the Hudson, from 155th Street to the northern border of
Manhattan, featuring the highest elevation in Manhattan, and
including the George Washington Bridge crossing and Fort Tryon
Park. Click here to read more.
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Greeter
Linda Gralitzer with Jane House and Don Cron, and some of New York City's "outdoor art." Photo courtesy of a Big Apple Greeter visitor.
"Fan" Mail: Greeters & Visitors Share Their Experiences and Thoughts
Many
friends visit us on Facebook;
follow us on Twitter or
contact us through our website, at Big Apple Greeter. Here are some recent messages.
"I
love Big Apple Greeter; we had a greeter meet us and take us
for a great walk through Central Park, around Manhattan and
through the subway - fabulous concept."
Julie
"Our
greeter took us on the visit we requested: a walk downtown,
retracing the footprints of the early Dutch settlers. We went
into places we would have walked by had we been on our own! It
is something we look back upon with great
pleasure."
Daphne
"My
greeter showed me the Lower East Side. I had the most
wonderful time visiting places I had heard about. We took the
subway to Brooklyn and walked back across the bridge.
Fabulous!"
Judith
"Our
greeter was very knowledgeable about the city and its history.
We spent a delightful time strolling around Soho, discovering
wonderful stores and places to eat. We ended up in Chinatown
eating delicious dumplings. We visited parts of NYC that we
probably would not otherwise have seen and saw them through
the eyes of a local."
Joanne
We would love to hear what you have to say
about our organization, send us your story!
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 Be
sure to read our new and updated Neighborhood Information Profiles.
Read New Neighborhood Information
Profiles
We welcome you to read our Big Apple Greeter
Neighborhood Information Profiles, where the attractions of seven
neighborhood destinations are posted. NYC Small Business
Services is
sponsoring four: East Harlem, a
Manhattan neighborhood of mostly Latino, Asian and Middle
Eastern residents, featuring museums, cultural centers, parks
and gardens, as well as shopping and a choice of ethnic
cuisines; Victorian Flatbush ,
a residential area in central Brooklyn first settled in 1652
by the Dutch, now featuring the charm of fine, traditional
homes, community architecture and plantings; Woodside, a
Queens neighborhood, home to three famous cemeteries, offering
the cultural and culinary experiences that reflect its large
Thai, Filipino, South Asian, Colombian and Ecuadorean
populations; and the St. George
neighborhood, on semi-suburban Staten Island, offering a ferry
trip across New York Bay, superb views of lower Manhattan and
the harbor, historic architecture, and a 19th
century Historic District.
Three new or
updated profiles are: Manhattan's Chinatown,
founded in the 1870s by Chinese immigrants and offering a
unique historical and cultural experience, as well as a vast
array of dining experiences, shopping, landmarks, cultural
treasures and nightlife; Soho
(short for "South of Houston" Street), a
fashionable and dynamic downtown Manhattan neighborhood where
art galleries, shops, street vendors and eating establishments
mingle to create that special New York "buzz;" and Astoria/Long Island City in Queens, offering a unique mix of
waterside parks, spectacular views of Manhattan's skyline,
prominent museums, industrial enterprise and ethnic diversity.
Click
here to view Big Apple Greeter Neighborhood Information
Profiles.
-- written by Lee Frankel
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About Big Apple Greeter:
Founded in
1992, Big Apple Greeter's mission is to enhance New York
City's worldwide image while enriching the City experience for
its visitors. Connecting with business and leisure visitors
from all over the US and the world, Greeters take visitors on
informal, unscripted walks through one or more neighborhoods
in any of the five boroughs, promote tourism throughout the
City, and help visitors discover the ease of using public
transportation. Over 300 volunteer Greeters
collectively speak almost 25 languages and enjoy giving
their time and energy back to their hometown. Since its
founding, Big Apple Greeter - a free public service- has
welcomed over 90,000 visitors and been featured in thousand of
newspapers, magazines, and television and radio programs all
over the world, reaching an audience of over two billion
potential visitors to New York City. Big Apple Greeter is
proud to partner with NYC & Company, the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority and the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of
Metro New York.
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