35th Anniversary Gala
2010 Voices of Hope Awards
Birch Family Services celebrated 35 years of service with a tremendous Gala celebration on April 27, 2010, during which we launched our new Friendship Fund.
The Friendship Fund will help young Birch alumni with autism and related disabilities continue to learn how to live independent lives by helping them reconnect with their past schoolmates in order to learn, practice, and master social relationship skills.
Learn more about the Friendship Fund and how you can make a contribution.
35th Anniversary Gala
Photo Album »
Our 2010 Voices of Hope Awardees:
John Catsimatidis
John Catsimatidis is the personification of the American Dream. Born in Nissirios, Greece in 1948, John’s parents immigrated to America when he was six months old. With little money, they settled in a rented apartment on 135th Street in Harlem. While his father Andres worked long hours as a busboy, his mother Despina raised their only son.
Growing up, John attended both public and parochial grade schools. His youthful fascination with mechanics and how things worked led him to Brooklyn Tech and then on to NYU as an Engineering major. While in college, a part-time job in a family friend’s grocery store at 137th & Broadway gave him to impetus open a small grocery at Broadway and 99th Street in Manhattan.
This small market was a success and became the cornerstone of Red Apple, a company that would acquire Gristedes Supermarkets in 1986. Sensing opportunity John branched out into a variety of other business enterprises, including: an oil refinery, a firm that leases corporate jets, 400 convenience stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, the Hellenic Times newspaper, and real estate holdings in New York, New Jersey and Florida.
Over the past four decades, a small supermarket on Manhattan’s Upper Westside has grown into diversified holdings that generate annual sales of over $3 billion and employs over 8,000 individuals.
As members of the Westside Chamber of Commerce in the 1980’s John and his wife Margo worked to turn a small block party into one of the city’s largest annual public events— the Columbus Avenue Festival, which has been attended by millions of New Yorkers over the years.
John and his wife Margo live on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside with their two teenage children.
The Catsimatidis’ are members of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Robin E. Keller, Esq.
Robin E. Keller, a Partner in the New York office of Lovells, LLP a world-class international law firm, heads the US Business Restructuring and Insolvency group. Her practice covers all aspects of business restructuring and corporate bankruptcy, with a particular emphasis on Chapter 11 reorganizations. She has played a significant role in the reorganization of many large US and international companies, representing debtors, institutional creditors, committees and distressed investors. Prior to joining Lovells, Robin spent many years as a partner at the New York based law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in their Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights practice.
Robin has two sons, Jacob and Gabriel Cogan, ages 20 and 22, and is married to Brian M. Cogan, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Robin’s son Gabriel attended Birch Family Service’s School for Exceptional Children for 10 years. After joining Birch’s Board of Directors in 2004, Robin soon became a crucial force in helping guide Birch’s strategic planning and organization. Elected Chairperson of the Board of Directors four years ago, Robin continues to serve Birch with extraordinary dedication, vision, and leadership ability.
Our Emcee
Mark Simone is one of the longest running and most entertaining voices on WABC radio.
Our Music
Musical entertainment during the evening was provided by Alpha Orchestra.
Our Photographer
Photographs courtesy of Lindsay Aikman. View Lindsay’s photos in the 35th Anniversary Gala Photo Album »
