BAG- Special Events

Greeter Outing to the Museum of Chinese in America

October 21, 2009

Photo by E. Holmes

On October 21, 2009, thirty volunteer Greeters visited the Museum of Chinese in America, a non-profit institution that preserves and presents the history, heritage, culture, and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States. Founded in 1980 as the NY Chinatown History project by historian John Kuo Wei Tchen and community resident/activist Charles Lai, it was created to develop a better understanding of Chinese American history and community.

After a tour of the museum’s broad array of exhibits, lead by Assistant Curator of Education Daria Ng, docent Alice Fung gave the volunteer Greeters a guided walking tour through Chinatown, tracing the evolution of Chinese American eateries, food ways and local history.

“A jewel of a museum with a rich collection” says Big Apple Greeter volunteer Marianne Gennarie.

Big Apple Greeter takes pride in its ability to provide New Yorkers with opportunities to enhance their leadership skills. Greeter Outings expand a Greeter’s knowledge base by introducing neighborhoods and cultural sites in all five boroughs, with which the Greeter may be unfamiliar. Afterwards, many Greeters do additional research, bring visitors and recommend the sites to friends, family, and neighbors.

Written by Elizabeth Holmes

Big Apple Greeter at City Hall with TIKI BARBER and DOMINIC CHIANESE

Photo by: Karen Bell

Big Apple Greeter Logo

Contact: Bill O’Reilly, 212-938-0004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TIKI BARBER, DOMINIC CHIANESE KICK-OFF BIG APPLE GREETER’S

‘CELEBRITY GREETER FOR A DAY PROGRAM’

Call on Other Prominent New Yorkers to Join Campaign

New York, N.Y.—July 15…Visitors to New York City could find themselves exploring New York’s most authentic, off-the-beaten path neighbourhoods, accompanied by some of the city’s best-known celebrities, business leaders, and elected representatives under a program announced today by Big Apple Greeter called the “Celebrity Greeter for a Day Program.”

The Celebrity Greeter for a Day Program will match well-known New Yorkers with visitors from around theglobe who want to experience New York through the eyes of those who know it best—real New Yorkers. More than 300 New Yorkers serve as Greeters for a Day throughout the year, and well-known New Yorkers will now be among them. Celebrity greeters will be matched up with city visitors in the same way others are paired, and advance notice will not be given. (Sorry: One can’t request a celebrity greeter!)

Former New York Giants superstar Tiki Barber and acting legend Dominic Chianese, who will serve as celebrity greeters, joined Big Apple Greeter representatives, elected officials, and New York business and tourism officials in announcing the program—and in calling on other prominent New Yorkers to step forward to become part of the initiative.

New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; City Council Members David Weprin and Dan Garodnick; and New York City Small Business Services Commissioner Rob Walsh, all of whom have supported Big Apple Greeter, also spoke at the news conference. Two additional Greeters for a Day scheduled are David McManus, General Manager, Affinia Shelburne Hotel and Christopher Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Big Apple Greeter founder Lynn Brooks thanked all those attending and added: “Big Apple Greeter is enormously grateful to Mr. Barber and Mr. Chianese for joining our greeter program. Our greeters give visitors from around the world the true flavour of New York.”

Big Apple Greeter is a non-profit founded in 1992 with a missionto enhance New York City’s worldwide image and enrich the New York experience by connecting visitors with knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. Big Apple Greeter’s core program is itsfree-of-chargeGreeter program, which connects visitors with New Yorkers of all ages, conversant in over 20 languages. Greeters, who are all volunteers, accompany visitors on two-four-hour informal visits to New York City’s neighbourhoods in all five boroughs.

Greeters Visit Important Historic Site in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Eight volunteer Greeters accompanied by Isiah Hall, a representative from New York City Council Member Darlene Mealy’s office, visited the Weeksville Heritage Center, one of the earliest, historically documented owned and occupied communities of free African-Americans in the country. Established in 1838 in what is now Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Weeksville served as a refuge for slaves escaping the South and northern blacks in need of safe haven during the Civil War draft riots in lower Manhattan.

The landmark site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features The Hunterfly Road Houses, three restored homes from the 1860s, 1900s, and 1930s.

“What made it so fascinating is that it was a racially and socially integrated place,” says Big Apple Greeter volunteer Kate Sheahan.

“The tour of Weeksville introduced me to a sacred part of Brooklyn history that I was not aware of,” says Mr. Hall.

Greeter outings are a critical component of Big Apple Greeter’s programming as they help boost tourism throughout the city’s five boroughs. Afterwards, many Greeters do additional research, bring visitors and recommend the sites to friends, family, and neighbors.

—Janet Alicea

Mike Woods and Ines Rosales are easily some of the most recognizable, trusted faces in New York. He serves as meteorologist delivering New Yorker’s daily dose of the latest weather and she is the traffic reporter for Good Day New York, the Emmy Award-winning daily morning news show on WNYW (Fox 5).

On December 26, New Yorkers were treated to a first-hand view of our organization’s work when the program televised a specially filmed segment featuring Mr. Woods and Ms. Rosales’ participation in Greeter for a Day, a special program created by Big Apple Greeter.

The program invites CEOs and other high profile New Yorkers to take visitors on an informal walk through their favorite neighborhood. The program reflects a positive image of the city and the Greeter for a Day serves as a goodwill ambassador for New York and the Big Apple Greeter way.

“We were asked if we'd like to participate and we eagerly agreed,” says Mr. Woods. “New York is a city like none other. It is truly a melting pot that celebrates all cultures, races, religions, and people.”

The visitors, a couple from Texas, received a guided tour of the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn by Ms. Rosales and Mr. Woods.

“We were so excited to take our visitors to our favorite place…a choice spot for a traffic reporter like me,” says Ms. Rosales.

This is the first time that our Greeter for a Day program has been broadcast on a major network. Fox 5 is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company located in New York City. –Janet Alicea

As Greeter for a Day, Mr. Catell accompanied Big Apple Greeter Ruth Nordenbrook and three visitors from Saskatchewan, Canada, for an informal walk in downtown Brooklyn. Beginning at the National Grid’s office in the MetroTech Center, Mr. Catell provided a tour of National Grid’s gas control and customer care centers, followed by a walk to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a tour of this historic performing art center.

Mr. Catell welcomed this one-time opportunity to share his love and enthusiasm for New York City and its neighborhoods with appreciative visitors, and he relished his role as goodwill ambassador for New York City.

“… I was able to experience first hand the power and the purity of the Big Apple Greeter concept that has been recounted over, and over again, in thousands of print, radio, and television segments worldwide. This free-of-charge program creates opportunities for New Yorkers to show pride in their city and give back to their city through volunteering. I shared my love of Brooklyn with visitors from Canada taking them to a neighborhood they might have otherwise missed, giving them a new perspective on New York.”

The Greeter for a Day program invites business, community, and government leaders to fill a Greeter’s shoes for a few hours. By sharing his or her love and enthusiasm for New York City and its neighborhoods with an appreciative visitor, the Greeter for a Day promotes New York City "the Big Apple Greeter way.”

Big Apple Greeter’s mission is to enhance New York City’s worldwide image and enrich the New York experience by connecting visitors with knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. Our goals are the following:

Robert B. Catell became Chairman, National Grid, U.S. following the acquisition by National Grid of KeySpan Corporation, where Mr. Catell was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KeySpan Corporation and KeySpan Energy Delivery, the former Brooklyn Union. His career with Brooklyn Union started in 1958.

Mr. Catell is also Chairman of Northeast Gas Markets and Alberta Northeast Gas Ltd., and a member of the board of directors of KEYERA Energy Management LTD.

He is co-chair of the Board of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Chairman of the Long Island Association.

Mr. Catell is a member of the board of directors / trustees of the following industry and business organizations:

Mr. Catell is also a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, CUNY Business Leadership Council, Municipal Club of Brooklyn, National Petroleum Council (NPC), National Society of Professional Engineers, NYS Society of Professional Engineers, New York Building Congress, The Ravitch Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing, and the Society of Gas Lighting (SOGL).

Mr. Catell is a past Chairman of the American Gas Association, the Partnership for New York City, Inc., the U.S. Energy Association (USEA), and the Advisory Board of the City College of New York’s School of Engineering. He is a Vice-Chairman of the National Petroleum Council’s Natural Gas Committee and also a member of its Finance Committee. Additionally, he serves on JPMorgan/Chase’s Metropolitan Advisory Board, the advisory board of HeartShare for Human Services, Sovereign Bank Advisory Board, and the advisory board for SUNY Farmingdale.

His further contributions to the community include serving as a Trustee of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He serves as a Member Emeritus of the Brooklyn Law School. He is a former Chairman of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Catell received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the City College of New York and is a Registered Professional Engineer. He has attended Columbia University’s Executive Development Program, and the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.