The Guardian Angels Anniversary Gala Journal Empowering Individuals to Keep it Safe Wednesday, June 8, 2011 The Pierre | Fifth Avenue & 61ST Street | New York City Dear Friends, Welcome one and all to The Guardian Angels 32nd Gala Dinner, our primary fundraising event held once each year. We are pleased to wish our long-time supporters in attendance tonight, as well as guests less familiar with our organization, an enjoyable and memorable evening. As struggling economic times continue, many communities across the nation have been forced to layoff police, including Oakland, California, and Newark, Camden, and Paterson, New Jersey. In these cities, already high crime rates escalated as a result of recent layoffs. Mayors and police departments in these communities reached out to The Guardian Angels for help, and we have responded in force. We sent seasoned patrols to these areas who are working to help concerned local citizens form their own Guardian Angels chapters. Our goal, as always, is to lend a hand, empowering everyday citizens to help themselves. We also helped curb a dangerous situation in Huntington Station, New York. The city was under siege by gang members - Bloods, Crips, MS13s and Latin Kings. The problem was so grave that the Huntington school board decided to close the Jack Abramson Middle School because of random drive-by shootings and gang fights occurring in and around the school in broad daylight. Never before had a school in the U.S.A. been closed due to the violence out on the streets. The Huntington Housing Authority asked the Guardian Angels to patrol Huntington Station. Working in partnership with the police for several months now, we are bringing about results. Crime and gang violence is down dramatically and the closed school will hopefully reopen in September. We have established a base in the projects there and are running a Junior Guardian Angels Program for area youth on Saturdays. Based on the success in Huntington Station, other towns in Nassau and Suffolk are requesting our assistance. Hollywood, too, has discovered The Guardian Angels. Two popular television series – Glee, and The Office, have featured grassroots groups wearing red berets and red satin jackets in recent months. In Glee, a youth patrol called the Bullywhips walks the school halls, protecting students from bullying, intimidation and harassment. This takeoff gives a nod to the successful anti-bullying programs we have long provided to schools. We continue our good work in Washington Heights-Inwood where our community services center extends programs and assistance to over 500 youth and adults each week. All of our youth programs fall within our Role Model Zone, the comprehensive outreach program we’ve established in communities and our website. We can only continue these programs with you by our side. In the past, you have been generous and we thank you for your support. May we work together to safeguard families and guide youth to turn away from violence and lead productive, contributing lives. Thank you for joining us as we work each day to fulfill our mission. 3 Our Mission Providing peaceful solutions to safeguard neighborhoods, schools and cyberspace from bullying, gangs and violence. Empowering individuals, especially at-risk youth, to prioritize academic achievement and become role models for their peers. The Reality Every day, we receive calls and letters from individuals pleading for help to overcome violence in their worlds. These calls only confirm the increases in violence, harassment, and intimidation reported daily in newspapers and research surveys. Bullies, predators, and gangs, in increasing numbers, are creating fear and danger in our communities. The perpetrators lurk in schools, neighborhoods, streets, subways and the Internet. The Dream That all children will enjoy a safe environment in which they can rise to their full potential and develop self-esteem, confidence and pride of accomplishment through a contribution and commitment to society. The Goal To motivate teachers, parents and children to create a safer, more powerful future through our programs focused on personal safety, civic contribution, value development and cyber security. To bring violence prevention programs to schools across America for the benefit of students, families, and teachers. To serve as a resource for training teachers in violence prevention at institutions of higher learning. The Plan Through increased partnership with educational, business, cultural and religious institutions in our communities, we will solidify and expand our pragmatic and positive role model programs. We will expand and enhance our programs focused on personal safety, neighborhood safety, cyberspace safety and civility, with a special emphasis on overcoming social and educational adversity. In concert with our nation’s schools, we will continue our ground-breaking work to develop curricula illustrating and documenting the benefits of violence prevention. 4 Role Models For Over 3 Decades 5 Join us to Honor our Role Models The Guardian Angels is pleased to recognize our Distinguished Honorees for 2011, who are standing up for the safety of families and children in our communities. Their personal support and generous contributions help our organization to continue and expand our work to keep our streets, subways, schools, neighborhoods, and the Internet safe, through education and the empowerment of individuals. They are truly role models for us all! The Humanitarian Award Dr. Rock Positano Director of the Non-Surgical Foot and Ankle Service for the Hospital for Special Surgery and Joe DiMaggio Sports Foot & Ankle Center The Guardian Angels “Inspirational Angel” Award Cornelia Zicu Chief Creative Officer, Red Door Spa Holdings, Elizabeth Arden Outstanding Guardian Angel Red Beret Award Rafael A. Alvarez President & CEO, Atax Franchise, Inc. 6 The Humanitarian Award Rock G. Positano, DPM, MSc, MPH Director of the Non-Surgical Foot and Ankle Service at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, Director of the Joe DiMaggio Sports Foot and Ankle Center, and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) Dr. Positano is nationally known for his non-surgical approach to the treatment of foot disorders. Dr. Positano is on staff at the Hospital for Special Surgery and currently serves as Director of the Foot Center, Sports Medicine section, at the Orthopedic Trauma Service, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He holds professorial appointments in the Departments of Orthopedics and Medicine and is the Chairman of the Academic Department of Orthopedic Science at NYCPM and the Foot Center of New York. Dr. Positano received his DPM degree from NYCPM, Dr. Positano holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Yale School of Medicine and a Master of Science degree from the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. 7 The Guardian Angels “Inspirational Angel” Award Cornelia Zicu Chief Creative Officer, Red Door Spa Holdings, Elizabeth Arden Cornelia Zicu, Red Door Spas Global Chief Creative Officer, is one of the world’s leading authorities in luxury skin care and day spa treatments. In 2008, Cornelia joined Red Door Spas’ senior management team. As a legendary esthetician and international beauty icon, Cornelia is responsible for identifying and implementing innovative beauty treatments and luxurious spa services for the iconic beauty brand. Cornelia brings a creative vibrancy and unique level of expertise to the brand that makes Red Door Spas a leader and trendsetter within the day spa industry. Cornelia leads the creative development, implementation and training of all Red Door Spas’ estheticians to ensure that only the highest quality of services are met at the 31 Red Door Spas nationwide. Cornelia and her trained staff of estheticians follow a three ‘Wow’ policy. The philosophy is that every guest should say at least three ‘Wows’ during their spa treatment, and if this does not occur, the esthetician should consider what additional attention and care can be made to enhance the experience. Cornelia is, by all definitions of the word, an adoring perfectionist who effortlessly merges time-honored beauty traditions with cutting-edge techniques. Her Romanian roots have given her a wealth of knowledge about natural remedies and secret family beauty recipes. However, her rich heritage represents only one part to her story. Cornelia is also an industry pioneer and visionary when it comes to beauty innovation, always keeping her finger on the pulse of the latest spa technologies, equipment and emerging trends for Red Door Spas. Prior to joining Red Door Spas, Ms. Zicu’s ventures included the Cornelia Day Spa on Fifth Avenue, a haven for Hollywood stars and sophisticated socialites, as well as several high-end beauty lines. Before that, Ms. Zicu was at the Peninsula Hotel Spa in Manhattan, where she quickly became the favorite skin-care expert of the spa’s elite clients. 8 Outstanding Guardian Angel Red Beret Award Rafael A. Alvarez President & CEO, Atax Franchise, Inc. Rafael Alvarez was born in the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and from his early age he wanted to be a successful entrepreneur. In 1986, with two hundred ($200) dollars of his saving, one computer and a fax machine he founded AlvarezTax and soon this company became a recognized name in the tax business marketplace. Rafael’s success and recognition in the area of tax preparation came through his well developed expertise in the tax industry. He is a veteran in the tax preparation industry of over twenty four tax years, the co-founder of Atax Software Solutions, Inc. and ATAX Financial Services, LLC a top tax financial advisor to independent businesses. Mr. Alvarez is one of the Pioneers in the IRS Electronic Tax Filing System and his company AlvarezTax has been a very successful business and it has a proven track record of high quality customer services and consistent financial growth.