The women exalted and strutted as they made their way down the red carpet to be recognized by Power Women of Brooklyn last week.
Each had earned her place on the runway as leaders in their respective fields.
Lisa Evers, the passionate Fox-5 broadcaster, helped me emcee the event after having been honored as a Power Woman the year before. I loved the quote on her journal page next to her photograph: “everything is possible.” It seemed perfect for each of the honorees.
The tone of the night was set by our self-proclaimed 96 year old “Attitude Lady,“ Sylvia Mariamoff, the recipient of our Lifetime Achievement award.
She wrote a poem to celebrate the night:
“Hello everybody, where shall I start?
I’m the ‘Attitude Lady,’ Right from my heart
With the help of God success appears…”
Sylvia touched everyone’s heart that night, and the more than 500 people in attendance stood and gave her a standing ovation, cheering her as she received her “Vicki” statuette. The world stood still for the self-proclaimed “foxy great-grandmother.”
It was just one of the extraordinary moments at the stunning Grand Prospect Hall, where we gathered in their stunning multi-tiered balcony grand ballroom.
There was so much talent in the room, starting with the brilliant singer Felina Backer, who opened the program with her chilling and powerful rendition of the national anthem.
At each event we raise money for a local cause who becomes the beneficiary of 100% of the raffles sold throughout the night. During this year’s Power Women of Brooklyn event, we helped The Selah Way Foundation and its co-founder, president and CEO, Elizabeth Melendez Fisher.
Her group, now nationwide, works to end sex trafficking and bring help to the exploited through four strong programs: awareness, prevention, outreach and residential. All of these programs are to care for survivors of sex trafficking.
Taking our breath away was extraordinary woman, Angela “Butch” Buccini, an accomplished dancer who created a career in acrobatics and circus artists. She specializes in hand to hand acrobatics, aerial arts and fire performances having appeared across the globe.
She founded The Muse Brooklyn and ABC Cirque, stopping our “show” by being brought upside down by her acrobat partner on the red carpet — yet another startling, stunning and memorable moment!
And then there was Raisa Chernina, the founder and executive director of the Be Proud Foundation. One of her missions is to promote families and she hosts a unique event, “Your Highness Grandmother” pageant. Watch out, grandmas, here I come! I’ll keep you posted.
I love that Raisa reaches out and helps Brooklyn’s most distressed Jewish people like the dwindling holocaust survivors in the borough. It was an honor to meet her.
Finally, from retired Judge and civic leader Alice Fisher Rubin, I took to heart her favorite quote: “The secret to success is not solely brilliance but perseverance.” Amen!
You can see more photos from our Power Women event at brooklynpaper.com.
