The partying season
The week was filled with holiday cheer as the party season began in full force.
My friend Steve Hartman, owner of Contessa Gallery in Southampton, Palm Beach, and Cleveland, celebrated Art Basel Miami with a large 3,400-square-foot installation, bringing his artists’ work to the celebratory Miami event that draws collectors from around the world.
Here in New York, Josh and I invited our staff, who came from all over the region and Philadelphia, to our annual holiday party. What a treat to see everyone in person! With offices in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Nassau, Southampton and Philadelphia — and many working remotely — it’s a joy to see them in person rather than on a Zoom meeting. And best of all, I think they felt the same way!
It’s been a challenge bringing people back to working in an office, but we’re slowly getting there. The opportunity to see everybody, dance, and enjoy each other at the iconic Terrace on the Park with views of the spectacular Manhattan skyline was a night for the memory books.
I was also delighted to celebrate dear friend Joe Pistilli’s 25th anniversary of the First Central Savings Bank he founded. Their mission to offer top-notch community banking has been enormously successful, with “good, old-fashioned personal services” at their 10 branches—and a new branch is coming to Massapequa.
They made the Garden City Hotel a scene with gorgeous stilt dancers entertaining the delighted guests who danced the night away. Another glorious celebration!
The next day, I was invited to speak at the staff holiday party for Life’s WORC at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck.
To my delight, over 700 direct care staff and their clients from our 46-plus group homes and day programs came together for the celebration. To me, it was a room of angels; the beautiful people who watch over our special men and women are truly heaven-sent!
Seeing how beautifully dressed the members of Life’s WORC family looked filled my heart with joy. It took me back 50 years when the image of the neglected people at Willowbrook State School starkly contrasted with the people at the party.
It’s been a long journey of making an enormous difference in the lives of the people we serve at Life’s WORC. I was so happy to see the staff who feed, diaper, dress and take loving care of the vulnerable people they serve.
I thanked them for all they do, calling them angels on the face of this earth. My battle now is to make sure they are given fair wages for their invaluable work.
An angel of another sort left us last year: Joe Mattone, the loving husband of dear friend Maryann and father of seven children and dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
For decades, the Mattone’s Saturday night Christmas party officially began the holiday season and this year was a memorial to Joe’s memory. We were reminded by Msgr. Jamie in his tribute to the late, great philanthropist and business leader that remembering and celebrating the ones we lost keeps their memory alive. We all felt Joe’s presence and were grateful Maryann had brought us together again.
Here’s to partying and celebrating life!
Love to you, my dear readers.
