A Night to Remember
The 2011 WESTY Awards (West Side Spirit Thanks You) took place the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Jewish Home Lifecare. Harold Holzer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art was the master of ceremonies, and 20 west siders were honored for their contributions to the community.
Photos by Andrew Schwartz
West Side Spirit Thanks These Neighborhood Heroes
Many people know Scott Stringer as Manhattan’s borough president and a likely mayoral candidate in 2013, but it is less well know that Stringer cut his political teeth on the Upper West Side. We caught up with him near his neighborhood home in about what he is doing now and about receiving a WESTY for West Sider of the Year.
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The WESTY AWARDS 2010: Saluting West Side Stars
Each year, West Side Spirit, the largest community paper on the West Side of Manhattan, takes a moment to salute some of the best of our neighborhood.
We call our civic awards the WESTYs, which stands for West Side Spirit Thanks You. The requirements for a WESTY are simple. The awards go to New Yorkers who live or work in the community and whose accomplishments help improve the neighborhood. Read more
Keeping the Faith in Humanity
Ascension Church offers many classes for immigrants
The Church of the Ascension’s Rev. John Duffell serves as a symbol of love in his community.
Duffell, pastor of the Church of the Ascension, earned a WESTY Award for the community work he has done to provide support for the people of the Upper West Side. He has been an advocate for those with no voice. Read more
The King of ‘Truck-Stop Gourmet’
Good says it’s great to run West Side eateries
Larry Good is an Upper West Side kind of guy. Born and raised in New York, he grew up on West 86th Street, where his parents still live. Currently calling 123rd Street home, the 45-year-old restaurateur has spent nearly all his life to the west of Central Park.
“The West Side is the crème de la crème. I’ve always felt at home here,” he said, sitting in his “downtown” restaurant, the second Toast NYC that is located at 105th Street and Broadway. “Well, it is my home,” he quickly noted. Read more
Selling West Side Living’s Joys with the Homes
She not only sells UWS real estate, she lives there too
Deanna Kory, senior vice president of the Corcoran Group Real Estate and president of The Deanna Kory Team, was honored with a WESTY Award for her dedication and commitment to residential real estate sales in the Upper West Side area. Through her work with Corcoran, Kory has made great contributions to the community, specifically through her leadership, expertise and high level of professionalism. Read more
Realtor Offers Clients a Personal Touch
Broker wants her firm to stay small
Rachel Erlich believes in providing more than the usual apartment-hunting experience. She believes in personal interactions, a comforting experience for her clients and finding a solution that leaves everyone happy.
Erlich, 47, began Rachel Realty in 2004 after having worked for two other real estate companies. “I chose not to work for a big company, because I believed in the old mom-and-pop school,” she said. “I believe there is something in good service.” She started the business with just two other women, and in the past six years her small realty company has grown to 20 employees. Read more
Goldman Exec Puts His Talents to Good Use at Lifecare
Volunteer improves care at Jewish Home with a better computer system
By Sara Dover
Working with Jewish Home Lifecare was meant to be, so it seems, said West Sider David Orelowitz.
The VP of Goldman Sachs started volunteering at the not-for-profit elder care system by flipping burgers for a company-sponsored barbecue for Lifecare a few years ago, but he became more committed when a friend bumped into him in the hallway and told him the institution was looking for someone with an IT background to work on a electronic records project. Read more
Helping Diabetics Control Their Lives and Sugar Levels
Poverty is often an obstacle to maintaining a good diet
For more than three decades—all of her adult life—Angela Schramm has worked in various roles at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City.
Schramm, a registered nurse and diabetes educator, has spent the past 20 of those years working near her Morningside Heights home in the hospital’s outpatient department on the Upper West Side, where she has lived since 2002. Read more
Ex-Pro Gives Back to Young Players
Baseball expert’s students include autistic children
Derek Aucoin grew up watching the Expos as a child. He idolized players like Steve Rogers and Andre Dawson.
In July, he drove to Cooperstown to see Andre Dawson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“When I was 10, I got to meet Andre Dawson,” Aucoin said. “That was what changed my life.”
Aucoin, 40, is currently director of player development for the Baseball Center NYC, which he co-founded 10 years ago. He coaches teams and works with young players. Aucoin was born in 1970 in Lachine, Quebec. He is single and has been living in New York for 12 years. Aucoin was a member of the 1988 Canadian Junior Olympic Baseball team. He was in the Montreal Expos’ and the Mets’ systems for 10 seasons and played in two Major League games. Read more
