for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com MARCH 19, 2015 • buzz • The QUEENS CourieR 71 VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@gmail.com A whirlwind week of celebrations When I returned from my mellow trip to South America, another trip began. This one was a whirlwind of wonderful days and nights. It began Monday with a “Suite Seat” to see Billy Joel. Tuesday was my birthday celebration with all my children and Schneps grandchildren. Wednesday, we celebrated the Top Women in Business in Brooklyn with the brilliant Borough President Eric Adams and NBC TV weatherman Chris Cimino as our Best Man of the Year. On Thursday, my grandson, 9-year-old Blake, celebrated with a birthday party and that evening I was given the Woman of the Year award from the Shorefront Democratic Club in Brooklyn. On Saturday, there was a continuing birthday celebration with the Broner/Yunis family, concluding on Sunday with my grandson Jonah’s sixth birthday party. Wow! I get tired just writing all this but I forgot to add all the work I did in between, such as meeting with community leaders such as Vinny Acuri and Ted Lenz. Let me begin by saying how happy I was to be invited by my Citibank friends to Madison Square Garden to hear the venerable legend Billy Joel. I haven’t been to a concert at that venue since the concert with John Lennon and Yoko Ono organized by Geraldo Rivera in the mid-1970s. What a thrill it was to feel the energy of the audience then and now. It was déjà vu as the sold-out crowd for Billy Joel cheered and yelled and swayed and sang his songs with him. With the enormous screens around Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Ingrid Lewis-Martin and NBC weatherman Chris Cimino with Victoria the stadium, I felt like I could touch him. Well, he touched me with his classic songs and surprise duet with genius violinist Itzak Perlman. Billy Joel performs monthly and I know now why his concerts are sold out until December. See it. It’s worth waiting for. I believe birthdays are a celebration not to be missed, regardless of age. I think that taking joyous time in our lives balances everything else. And with my daughter-in-law Tracey, grandchildren Blake and Jonah, and nephew Ryan Easton all having birthdays within days of each other, it felt so good to share the happy feeling. Over 15 years ago, I began celebrating Women in Business and when we bought the Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator and Spectator News in Brooklyn, I continued the tradition in Brooklyn and even expanded it into Staten Island. We have found a home for the event at the iconic, historic, stunning Grand Prospect Hall in Park Slope. The owners Alice and Mike Halkias have restored and cherished the site and we filled it with over 500 people on Wednesday evening. My joy was to see the joy on the faces of each of the unique women we honored. The next day, we received emails from many of the women saying, “The event was really spectacular and the opportunity to network remains invaluable.” That was what the night was all about. And I’m so grateful to our beloved Borough President Eric Adams for being there and helping to celebrate the Top Women! On Thursday evening with a room full of powerful Brooklyn leaders, they called me to the podium as Woman of the Year for the Shorefront Democratic Club. Dilia Schack, one of my past Top Women, had nominated me and I was humbled to receive it. It is my mission and passion to serve the community through my newspapers and it’s what I do, so for me it was a big bonus to receive this special recognition. The week ended with more birthday celebrations, and the smiles of the celebrants warmed and filled my heart and mind with marvelous memories. And then, as life is, on March 17 I will be at the cemetery to visit my beloved husband Stu on the second anniversary of his death. With a sad but grateful heart, I will celebrate his life and the good times we shared together. Celebrations give me the strength to handle the sadness and hurt of loss. This is life! victoria’s secrets tweet me @vschneps Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 The Broner/Yunis family celebrating our birthdays Blake, center, with his sister Morgan, left, and his cousins Victoria receiving her award, center, with Democratic District Leaders Dilia Schack and Mark Davidovich Jonah celebrating his sixth birthday with his sister and mom
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