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Breakfast Benefit • Tarrytown • April 11, 2025
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ANNOUNCING THE AWARD WINNERS
Education & Literacy Award
Kimberly Janeway
for volunteer action with
Family Service Society of Yonkers
Presented by The Seiden Family
Quality of Life Award
Chivas Wakuta
for volunteer action with
One Sandwich at a Time
Presented by PCSB Community Foundation
Resiliency Award
Najib Arsalan and Freshta Nazari
for volunteer action with
Open Arms for Refugees
Presented by WMCHealth
Social Advocacy Award
Paul Adler, Esq.
for volunteer action with
NAACP - Nyack Branch
Presented by United Way of Westchester and Putnam
Youth Leadership Award
Christian and Rowan Dias
for volunteer action with
Able Athletics, Inc.
Presented by PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP
This year, the Volunteer Spirit Awards will also serve as Volunteer New York!’s 75th anniversary celebration. By honoring Volunteer New York! with the 2025 Legacy Award, we recognize the collective legacy of everyone — volunteers, partners, and supporters — who have contributed to the organization’s success over the past 75 years. This signature event will be the largest public celebration of our anniversary. Who doesn’t love a family reunion!
The mission of Volunteer New York! is to mobilize the communities of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties to address its greatest challenges. We envision a community that is vibrant, resilient, and equitable and believe volunteerism and civic engagement are critical strategies to achieve this vision. Last year alone, Volunteer New York! mobilized more than 35,000 volunteers, who contributed over 457,000 hours of service to 300 local nonprofits — an economic value of $16.9 million reinvested into our community.
At Volunteer New York!, our commitment is to turn good intentions into action. We know that countless individuals want to give back but need guidance on how and where their efforts can have the greatest impact. With a bold new strategic plan and our Board of Directors searching for the organization’s next Executive Director, this 75th anniversary is as much about looking toward our future as it is about celebrating our past.
Through all of our programs, Volunteer New York! connects individuals to causes, communities, and each other — fostering purpose and belonging. As society’s challenges grow increasingly complex, volunteerism remains both a solution and a bridge, uniting diverse people to address urgent needs and strengthening the very fabric of our neighborhoods.
We believe that volunteerism can be a catalyst for positive change and a force that brings people together to solve our most pressing issues. As we look ahead to the next 75 years, our priority is to continue creating vital pathways for volunteering and civic engagement, ensuring that nonprofits and communities have the people power to strengthen their neighborhoods. We strive to make it even easier for anyone to step up, get involved, and make a difference — now and for generations to come.
Event Sponsors as of January 28, 2025
Cuddy+Feder LLP, Hudson Valley Credit Union, PCSB Community Foundation, PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP, Regeneron, TechCXO,
The Seiden Family, Webster Bank, WMCHealth
Benefit Committee
Alisa H. Kesten (Co-Chair), Joanna Straub (Co-Chair), Joseph Ali, Gayle Binney, Deborah Blatt, Celia Brown, James Burton, Betty Cotton, Bianca Di Salvo, Tony Fasciano, Deborah Fay, Ally and Tom Gallin, Jeanette Gisbert, Jennifer & Bud Gruenberg, Nikki Hahn, Kenny Herzog, Dale Hisiger, Ted Kesten, Joanne Kirkpatrick, Susan Kushner, Valerie Mason Cunningham, Matthew McCrosson, Wendy Nadel, Agnes Nowak, Joe Ricca, A. Douglas Rogers, Markham & Jody Rollins, Joan Rothman, Susan Russ, J. Loren Russell, Emily Saltzman, David Severance, Geri Shapiro, Nicole Sheindlin, Lynn Sobel, Elisabeth Vieselmeyer
Steering Committee
Lydia Kris (Chair), Ilana Arbeit, Cathy Boyle, Karen Gabor, Joanne Kirkpatrick, Monica Martinez-Hess, Amy Seiden,
Laura Romeo Sobel, Abbe P. Stein, Christine Stufano
Watch the 44th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards
2024 Journal Book
#PEOPLEPOWER
2024 Orange Book
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER SPIRIT AWARDS
BREAKFAST BENEFIT • TARRYTOWN
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The Volunteer Spirit Awards breakfast benefit is held annually in April during Global Volunteer Month to honor volunteers in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties. The event is attended by over 550 “who’s who” leaders from the community, including representatives from the business, nonprofit, and public sectors, to recognize extraordinary individuals and groups who have made a significant difference in their communities. Nominations are held for five categories, and an independent panel of judges selects one individual volunteer or nonprofit group for each category. The event is Volunteer New York!’s only annual event fundraiser and is supported through sponsorships, journal ads, ticket and table sales, and individual donations leading up to the event and during our 2-minute pledge, much of which is driven in honor and celebration of the individual volunteer and nonprofit group honorees, and the nominating organizations.
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