Meredith Lee, Program Director, Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award

Claudia Wheeler, Honoree, Founder, the SALT Foundation, www.SaltFoundationInc.org
https://russberriemakingadifferenceaward.org/honorees/claudia-wheeler/

Rylee Howerton, Honoree, High School Student, Founded the “Choose Wise Words” campaign
https://russberriemakingadifferenceaward.org/honorees/rylee-howerton/

Pamela Johnson, Anti-Violence Coalition Hudson County
https://russberriemakingadifferenceaward.org/honorees/pamela-johnson/

RUSS BERRIE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR THE 27TH ANNUAL CEREMONY
11 NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY CHANGEMAKERS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE TO OTHERS

Each person knows an individual who gives back to the community by creating positive change. The Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award has been recognizing those changemakers for 27 years — unsung heroes from around New Jersey who demonstrate their passion and unstoppable commitment to serve the most vulnerable.

Established by the late Russell Berrie, funded by the Russell Berrie Foundation, and hosted and managed by Ramapo College of New Jersey, the awards honor New Jersey residents whose outstanding community service and heroic acts have made a substantial impact on the lives of others.

Eleven outstanding changemakers will be honored at the 27th Anniversary Award Ceremony on Friday, May 5, 2023, 11:30am at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

With 419 honorees since the inception of the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award in 1997, more than $4 million in cash awards have been presented to recognize the personal sacrifices and commitments these individuals have made to serve others. Their work is improving people’s lives and making communities stronger. The nominees include community leaders, affinity groups, ethnic and religious organizations, nonprofit leaders, volunteers, among many others in such areas as community service, volunteerism, social justice, community life, environmental issues, and a range of advocacy topics.

“I could not be more inspired by this year’s Making a Difference Award honorees for their efforts ranging from preventing violence to distributing tons of food and supplies weekly to people in need,” said Scott Berrie, vice president of the Russell Berrie Foundation and son of Russ Berrie. “They have incredible dedication to tackling problems, bringing needed solutions that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities throughout New Jersey. It’s an honor to advance and celebrate their efforts.”

This year, awards totaling $160,000 will be presented to 11 honorees.

The 2023 Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award honorees are:

Tia Ryans of Newark founded F.O.R.T.E. House NJ (Forcing Out Recidivism Through Education). Tia was incarcerated for a decade following a traumatic childhood. Determined to change her life, she began taking classes and enrolled in Rutgers following release, graduating in 2019. While at Rutgers, she recognized a need for tools and support for justice impacted students transitioning through postsecondary education and founded F.O.R.T.E. House in Newark. Tia has become a leading advocate for criminal reform and restorative justice in New Jersey. In 2022, she was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy as a Trustee of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, the first formerly incarcerated person in that position. Tia will receive the top award of $50,000.

Melissa Walker of Montclair created JAZZ HOUSE KIDS. A professional jazz vocalist, Melissa created JAZZ HOUSE KIDS in 2002 to use jazz, America’s original musical art form, to ignite creativity and enhance students’ academy and social-emotional skills. Afterschool and summer programs provide a supportive creative community for students from diverse backgrounds from 10 New Jersey counties. In school programs reach those in under-resourced schools in Newark and Paterson. Melissa will receive a $25,000 award.

Pamela Johnson of Jersey City founded the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County. After surviving a shooting more 20 years ago, Pamela Johnson was compelled to take action to help other victims of violence. In 2014, she launched a grassroots anti-violence movement in Jersey City, which led the creation of the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County that provides trauma counseling and support for victims and families while also working on violence prevention and de-escalation in communities. Pamela will receive a $25,000 award.

Awards of $7,500 will be presented to:

Christian Kane of Toms River spearheaded RJW Barnabas Health Field of Dreams. A car accident left Christian’s son, Gavin, with traumatic brain injuries and unable to walk or speak. After struggling to access recreational spaces with his son, Christian decided to build a comprehensive recreational facility where children of all abilities and their caretakers would feel at home. Christian spearheaded a multi-year campaign to raise funds and build the RWJ Barnabas Health Field of Dreams in Toms River which opened in 2022.

Rylee Howerton of Vineland launched the “Choose Wise Words” campaign. Diagnosed on the autism spectrum as a child, Rylee overheard other children describe her using an offensive word. That experience resulted in her launching the “Choose Wise Words” campaign which led to a book and speaking opportunities to thousands of people about kindness and inclusivity. Now a high school student, she uses sports and pageants as a platform to share her message.

Claudia Wheeler of East Brunswick launched SALT Foundation. A U.S. Navy veteran and elementary school teacher, Claudia launched the SALT Foundation to provide food and supplies to those in need. This volunteer effort rescues four tons of food weekly and distributes to food pantries, shelters, organizations and churches.

Carol Dvoor of Flemington created the Safe Harbor Child Access Center. A domestic violence survivor, Carol created the Safe Harbor Child Access Center, a trauma informed, inclusive, child-friendly and supportive space to host supervised visitations and social engagement opportunities for families experiencing separate and divorce in Hunterdon, Warren and Somerset Counties.

Zaniya Lewis of Edgewater Park started YesSheCanCampaign. Zaniya started YesSheCanCampaign to equip young people who are overcoming adversity with the tools and resources to succeed in college and in their careers. Her advocacy to end scholarship displacement led to legislation that prohibits the practice at New Jersey’s public colleges and university.

Jose German-Gomez of Montclair launched Northeast Earth Coalition. After retiring from his accounting and finance career, Jose turned his energies to educating and supporting local environmental and sustainability initiatives. He launched the Northeast Earth Coalition to encourage local sustainability in North Jersey communities, holding workshops and training more than 750 volunteers who manage projects and community gardens across North Jersey.

Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber of Princeton Junction founded the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice. Robt was a middle school teacher for 25 years and has been at the forefront of social justice advocacy for decades. He founded the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton which offers innovative support programs and a dedicated safe space for young LGBTQIA+ people that is staffed with trained volunteers.

Norma Bowe of Highlan

The post RUSS BERRIE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR THE 27TH ANNUAL CEREMONY11 NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY CHANGEMAKERS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE TO OTHERS  appeared first on Good News!.

Not to be Missed 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) Announces 2018 Line up – “Spirit of Queens” Honorees, Venues + Sizzle Reel with Special Guests. 189 films to be screened over the course of this year’s Extended Festival.

When-Wednesday, Feb 14th, 9:30-11:30am (Valentines, coffee and light refreshments will be served!)

Where- Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, Queens, NY

Who- Queens native and this year’s “Spirit of Queens” Award winner Jan Oxenberg, along with Sandra Schulberg and the Festival Directors will be in attendance joined by over 50 filmmakers from this year’s festival, Investors Bank, NY Community Bank, Jacob Riis Settlement House and Central Queens NY.

QWFF Artistic Director Don Cato will introduce special guests (filmmakers, honorees, Sponsors and partners) and reveal this year’s Sizzle Reel for The 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) at the Museum of the Moving Image‎ (MoMI), in Astoria, Queens, NY.

This year the Festival has an extended schedule to run for two weeks March 15-25, 2018. Don Cato ‎states that “This year’s submissions increased by 43% and QWFF programmers screened hundreds and hundreds of films from 48 nations. This year we have 189 incredible films from 36 nations with 19 world premieres including CRUISE, by Robert D. Siege (American screenwriter: The Onion Movie and The Wrestler, as well as the writer and director of Big Fan) There are films from all 5 boroughs and a ground breaking 65 films by women, 14 LGBTQ themed films, 14 films by Asian filmmakers including the award winning Queens filmmaker and QWFF alumni Patrick Chen who is returning with his short Confucius Plaza.“

Each year, the Queens World Film Festival pays tribute to an outstanding filmmaker for his or her body of work. This year’s “Spirit of Queens” Award goes to Jan Oxenberg and the festival will screen her genre-busting Thank You and Good Night. Oxenberg is a Queens native and grew up in Bell Park Gardens in Bayside, where the neighbors included Richard Dreyfuss and Estelle Getty! On March 21, QWFF will give another 2018 “Spirit of Queens” Award to Artist, Activist, Filmmaker Vincent Gagliostro, not only for his insightful and riveting After Louie, starring the stunning Alan Cummings, but for the actions he has continuously taken on behalf of so many in the artistic community.

The Queens World Film Festival engages audiences with targeted outreach to the diverse communities that comprise the borough of Queens.‎ QWFF Artistic Director Don Cato ‎states that “this year’s submissions increased by 43% and programmers screened 611 films from across the globe—including Spain, Argentina, Canada, German, Iran, Japan, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Dominican Republic, Italy, Australia, Nepal, Netherlands, Turkey, UK and the US – with 37 submissions from Queens!

Festival Sponsors include Investors Bank, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Queens Council on the Arts, New York Community Bank, Investors Bank Foundation and Queens Tourism. This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralized Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Queens Council on the Arts.

Tickets are now on sale for all films at the Zukor Theatre via queensworldfilmfestival.com. Films screening at MoMI should be live Feb. 14.

The Opening Night event for the Eighth Annual Queens World Film Festival will be presented by Investors Bank and will be held on Thursday, March 15, 2018, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. The evening’s program will feature a block of stirring six, short films grouped under the title of “Emotional Punch.” The films are Atomic Mother, directed by L.E. Salas; You Deserve Everything, directed by Goran Stolevski; Bricklayer’s Poet, directed by Gino Cafarelli; Backstory, directed by Joschka Laukeniks; (Out) Caste, directed by Shilpi Shikha Agrawal; and Our Wonderful Nature, the Common Chameleon, directed by Tomer Eshed.

On March 25, ‘Best of’ Awards’ will be given in each category including Best Feature, Best Director, etc. with Honorable Mention awards in many categories along with two special awards from our new partners, The KODAK AWARD and The inktip AWARD.

The Queens World Film Festival is a program of the Queens World Film Initiative, Inc., a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.

The post Not to be Missed 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) Announces 2018 Line up – “Spirit of Queens” appeared first on Good News!.

1501 Broadway
Times Square NYC
Friday, March 27th 2015
8:30 am – 10:30 am

Join with hundreds of business & civic leaders on the Great Stage
at the Hard Rock Café as we gather to honor women who have made a difference

2015 Honorees
Karen Magee
President New York State
United Teachers “NYSUT”
For her dedication to the teaching profession & her service on behalf of NY’s 600,000 plus public school educators

Kathleen Cooney Bonistall
Founder & Vice Chair
PEACE OUTside Campus
For her dedication to promoting safe college environments & safeguarding students against crime in campus communities

The Honorable Gale Brewer
Manhattan Borough President
For her dedicated service as former NYC Council Chair for Technology & continued efforts on behalf of the legacy of strong women leaders.

Mwisa Chisunka
NYS Business Ombudswoman
For her efforts to help educate all business & civic leaders to navigate the complex maze of regulations necessary to run NYS

Susan Lee
Founder Camp Broadway
For educating theater-loving kids at annual summer camp maintaining NYC theatre as an iconic part of our economy & culture

Kerry Kennedy
President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
For her dedicated service and global efforts in helping to educate and advocate for Human Rights for those in need!

The post Women’s History Awards Breakfast appeared first on Good News!.

GREATER NEW YORK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO HONOR SIX AT ANNUAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION BREAKFAST
1501 Broadway
Times Square NYC
Friday, March 27th 2015
8:30 am – 10:30 am

Join with hundreds of business & civic leaders on the Great Stage
at the Hard Rock Café as we gather to honor women who have made a difference

2015 Honorees
Karen Magee
President New York State
United Teachers “NYSUT”
For her dedication to the teaching profession & her service on behalf of NY’s 600,000 plus public school educators

Kathleen Cooney Bonistall
Founder & Vice Chair
PEACE OUTside Campus
For her dedication to promoting safe college environments & safeguarding students against crime in campus communities

The Honorable Gale Brewer
Manhattan Borough President
For her dedicated service as former NYC Council Chair for Technology & continued efforts on behalf of the legacy of strong women leaders.

Mwisa Chisunka
NYS Business Ombudswoman
For her efforts to help educate all business & civic leaders to navigate the complex maze of regulations necessary to run NYS

Susan Lee
Founder Camp Broadway
For educating theater-loving kids at annual summer camp maintaining NYC theatre as an iconic part of our economy & culture

Kerry Kennedy
President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
For her dedicated service and global efforts in helping to educate and advocate for Human Rights for those in need!

The post Women’s History Awards Breakfast (Part 4) appeared first on Good News!.

The post HONOREES ANNOUNCED; TICKETS AND TABLES NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE GIVING BACK GALA appeared first on Good News!.

Benefit Gala with Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae

Gala Event Hosted by ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos and Filmmaker David Lynch, Honorees Include Dr. Mehmet Oz and Philanthropist Ray Dalio

New York, NY – December 6, 2012: The David Lynch Foundation will host an“An Historic Night of Jazz” benefit to raise money for free meditation instruction to inner city kids, veterans suffering from PTSD, low-income communities and women and girls who have been victims of violence and abuse. The event will be on Thursday, December 13^th starting at 6:00PM at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Theatre, featuring performances by jazz legends Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae. This unprecedented gala event will be hosted by ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos and filmmaker David Lynch.

Confirmed red carpet arrivals include Russell Simmons, Liv Tyler, Jerry Seinfeld, Esperanza Spalding, Corinne Bailey Rae, George Stephanopoulos, David Lynch, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Barry Zito and Ray Dalio.

Highlights of the event include a conversation on the benefits for health of Transcendental Meditation among high-profile thought leaders, including cardiac surgeon and TV medical talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz and financier and philanthropist Ray Dalio. During the festivities, Mr. Dalio and his wife, Barbara, will be honored with the David Lynch Foundation’s “Unbounded Generosity Award” for 2012, and Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa, will be honored with the Foundation’s “Perfect Health Award” for 2012.

Proceeds from the event will go towards teaching the Transcendental Meditation technique to thousands of inner-city youth, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and women and girls who have been victims of violence and abuse. Over the past seven years, the David Lynch Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 250,000 at-risk adults and children to meditate.

For press inquiries, contact Jillian Nannery at The TASC Group at 646-723-4344 or jill@thethetascgroup.com.     

About The David Lynch Foundation

The David Lynch Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 2005 to fund the implementation of scientifically proven stress-reducing modalities including Transcendental Meditation, for at-risk populations such as underserved inner-city students; veterans with PTSD and their families; women and girls who have been victims of violence, rape, and abuse, American Indians suffering from diabetes and high suicide rates; homeless adults and teens participating in reentry programs; and incarcerated adults and juveniles. For more information, visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org

NOTE FROM BOBBY ROTH: PLEASE SEE BELOW

THANK YOU, JOEY! THANK YOU, ROBERTA!

Joey, your mom spoke so beautifully about you on Thursday night. David Lynch and I (and the whole audience) missed seeing you very much, but hopefully there will be many more times in the future.

Here is a TV show I was on with Jerry Seinfield and the ABC television anchor George Stephanopoulos on Thursday.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/dlf_tv_myspace_videos/Joey%20Lowenstein/Joey_Lowenstein_12-7-12-H.264%20LAN.mov

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/jerry-seinfeld-bob-roth-importance-transcendental-meditation-ptsd-17961730

Love,
Bobby
Bob Roth
Executive Director
David Lynch Foundation
654 Madison Avenue, Suite 806
New York, NY 10065

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