6 North Shore Towers Courier n January 2016 WE’VE GOT THE POWER! NST new generator awarded prestigious honor (l. to r.) Peter (l. to r.) Assembly Member, David Weprin; Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Tom Grech; Queens Chamber of Commerce President, Al Pennisi; Peter Falcier, Vice President, Development and Analytics, GI Energy; North Shore Towers Chief Engineer, Sal Castro; Buildings Department Commissioner, Rick Chandler; Queens Chamber of Commerce Secretary, Vincent Petraro NST ANSWERS THE CALL PROVIDES HELP FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS Domestic Violence Advocacy Consultant Susan Bartelstone has been a resident of North Shore Towers for 21 years. In addition to being an active member of the Political Action Committee, she’s also a member of the Women’s Club and University Club. Bartelstone is a nationally-respected Domestic Violence Advocacy Consultant and Crime Prevention Specialist, former host of the award-winning radio show Crime Prevention 101 and former Chairperson of Domestic Violence Initiatives Taskforce for the prestigious New York Women’s Agenda. Her tips and articles have been featured in a long list of media including Yahoo Home Page, MainStreet.com, Time Out New York and the Today Show. For more information, see www.domesticviolence101.info, crimeprevention101.com or email solutions@fightsafe.com. Susan Bartelstone On the same evening two of North Shore Towers’ most prominent female businesswomen—Pouran and Linda Rappaport (see story on pages 12-14)— were being recognized at the Long Island Power Women in Business Awards, North Shore Towers herself was receiving its own “power” recognition. On the evening of Thursday, December 3, the Queens Chamber of Commerce held its 90th Annual Building Awards at Terrace on the Park, at which North Shore Towers received a Special Award for Energy and Sustainability for her new generators, installed in 2014. North Shore Towers Chief Engineer, Sal Castro, was on hand with Peter Falcier, Vice President, Development and Analytics for GI Energy, the builders of the power system. Among those in attendance were Borough President Melinda Katz and Assembly Member David Weprin. BY SUSAN BARTELSTONE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCACY CONSULTANT Since 2012, the Pilgrim Cathedral of Harlem has hosted a Holiday Party for homeless women and children, living in domestic violence shelters in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan. This year, approximately 250 women and (mostly) children were treated to a holiday meal and presents donated by sponsors like Macy’s and Scholastic Books. Church members went all out this year, decorating a large upstairs room with party lights and tables with festive cloths. They also cooked a delicious, buffet-style lunch of chicken, peas and rice, string beans, macaroni and tuna. Of course, there were several kinds of cake and cookies, too—a favorite of the kids! Everyone went back for seconds. After eating, everyone was escorted to the downstairs area of the Church, which was set up with racks of clothing donated by Macy’s and lined with tables of shoes, pocketbooks and smaller clothing items. Macy’s volunteers joined parishioners and other groups and helped the women and children pick out clothes from the racks just as if they were going to a store and shopping—a terrific feeling for the women! An adjacent conference room was set up as a “toy store” with a conference table stacked with children’s books and walls lined with dolls, trucks, drawing supplies and all sorts of toys arranged by age (infants to 18). Volunteers helped each child pick out a few special items. For the past two years, I, as a member of the NST Political Action Committee, have collected donations of travel samples of soaps, shampoos, cosmetics and other toiletries from NST residents. The Church members put together colorful goodie bags to give out to the women in order that the Shelters don’t have to use their scarce resources on these items. This year my efforts were greatly helped by an article in the NST Courier in November and, again, our community answered the call. I delivered a whole shopping cart full of toiletries to the Church! Denise Allen, the coordinator of the party for the Pilgrim Cathedral, said these gifts go a long way towards brightening the holidays for these women, who often flee their homes with only the clothes on their backs. She asked me to give a big thanks to all who helped out and wishes everyone a very happy New Year on behalf of all the women and children. Falcier, Vice President, Development and Analytics, GI Energy; North Shore Towers Chief Engineer, Sal Castro
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